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book
More Irish Families
by Edward MacLysaght
Edward MacLysaght, More Irish Families (Dublin, Ireland, Irish Academic Press Ltd., 1996).
ISBN 0-7165-2604-2
Original edition came out in 1970. “Supplement to Irish Families” came out in 1964. This revised & enlarged paper edition includes both.
page 53
MacCAUL, MacCawell, Caulfield
(Mac) CORLESS, Carlos
Caulfield is a surnam of several origins, some of which were briefly dealth with in Irish Families (pp. 153 & 305). The majority of our Caulfields are actually MacCawells — MacCathmhaoil in Irish, a Cenel Eoghain sept traditionally descended from Niall of the Nine Hostages and located in the barony of Clogher (Co. Tyrone). Few Irish patronymics have acquired so many different anglicized forms as this: in addition to those given above there are:
Campbell
Howell
MacCarvill
MacCowhill
Callwell
MacCall
MacHall
The last two, it should be observed are also used for MacCathail of Hy Many, which, however, when found in its original homeland of Connacht is now Corless, Carlos or Charles; and here I must prolong this parenthesis by adding that Corless and Carlos are often rendered MacCarluis in modern Irish. Turning to present day distribution we find that MacCaul and MacCall now belong chiefly to the Armagh-Monaghan-Cavan area, while Caulfield (apart from metropolital Dublin) is most numerous in north-east Ulster and in Mayo. Petty’s “census” (1659) indicates that Cawell and MacCawells were then numerous in Armagh and Louth, two of the counties comprised in ancient Oriel; the abbreviated form MacCall had not yet been adopted and Caulfield appears only as a planter family.
This was established as a leading Ulster landlord family by Sir Toby Caulfield. Born in Oxford in 1565 and registered at baptism in the name of Calfehill, he had come to Ulster in the service of Queen Elizabeth; in 1607 he obtained a large grant of abbey lands in Co. Armagh and also in Co. Derry, and he acted for the government as collector of rents and fines on the forfeited O’Neill estates from 1608 to 1611. He was the first Baron Charlemont and ancestor of the present peer. One of the seats of the family, Castlecaulfield (formerly Alconecarry), was the nucleus of the town of that name in Co. Tyrone. They were active always in the English interest. William, the 5th Baron, captured Sir Phelim O’Neill in 1652 and in the next generation they took the side of William of Orange. They retained until recent times their extensive estates and in 1883 held over 26,000 acres in Counties Armagh and Tyrone. Another Lord Charlemont, James Caulfield, 1st Earl (1728-1799), first president of the Royal Irish Academy, was commander-in-chief of the Irish Volunteers as well as being a scholar. Another James Caulfield was Catholic Bishop of Ferns from 1785 to 1810. Richard Caulfield (1823-1887) was noticed in Irish Families (p. 153).
As the Charlemont family lived in the same territory as the Gaelic sept of MacCawell some confusion must arise as to the origin of individuals since the partial adoption by the MacCawells of the surname Caulfield. Prior to the eighteenth century identification presents no difficulty. MacCawells are to be found frequently in early seventeenth century Ulster records, e.g. in the 1605-1609 inquisition juries, most of whom were of Gaelic-Irish stock. It is of interest to recall the recorded fact that in 1609 of 15 Limavady jurors (including two MacCawells as well as MacAttagarts, O’Heaneys and a MacGilligan) no less than 13 “spoke good Latin.” The MacCawells are principally noteworthy as ecclesiastics: two were Bishops of Clogher between 1390 and 1432 and many others held lesser positions in the diocese betwee 1356 and 1612; and there was also the Franciscan historian philosopher, Hugh MacCaughwell (1571-1626), who was appointed Archbishop of Armagh the year he died; but possibly he was not of this stock as in Irish he is usually called MacAingil. Bibl.