Walter Cheevers was ordered to proceed to Connaught on December 16th, 1653, with his family and descendants. English authorities required that he provide an inventory of his goods and a description of all who were to accompany him. The document reads as follows:

"Walter Cheevers, of sanguine complexion, brown haire, and indifferent statue; his wife Alison Netterville," (this shows the connection with Lord Netterville’s family,)" otherwise Cheevers, with five children, the eldest not above seven years old; four women servants and seven men servants; viz a viz; Daniel Barry, tall statue, red beard, bald pate; Thady Cullen, of small statue, brown haire on his face; Morgan Cullen, of small statue, blind of one eye, with black haire; Philip Birne, aged about 40 years, black hair, low statue; William Birne, tall stature, aged 35 years; Patrick Corbally, aged 40 years, red haire, middle statue. The said Walter doth manure twenty colpe of corn and hath twenty cows, sixty sheep, thirty hoggs, two ploughs of garrans. The tenants willing to remove with him are: Arthur Birne, of little statue, brown haire, aged about 30 years; Dudley Birne, middle statue, brown haire, aged about twenty –five years; which tenants have a plough of garrans, twelve cows, forty sheep; Martin Maguire, tall of statue and red haire, aged 30 years, hath six cows, four garrans, twenty sheep; Thomas Eustace, lowe statue, brown haire, twenty five years, hath ten cows, forty sheep, a plough of garrans and ten hoggs. The substance whereof we conceive to be true. In witness, whereof we have hereunto set our hands and seals, the 19th. Day of December 1653."

The transplanted had been promised good lands in Connaught with a substantial house upon them, but this promise was not fulfilled and we find Walter Cheevers complaining to the council in a letter dated August 6th, 1656, that the land given to him was insufficient and that he was given no residence. His plea, however, was unavailing and so he, with his servants and retainers, laid the foundation of Killyan House, in Co. Galway, at first a thatched dwelling.

Here, also was built one of the first Catholic chapels in Connaught and to this day, the roofless walls of the little church may still be seen in the centre of the Killyan graveyard, a lasting testimonial, through the ages, to the faith of the Chevers family, who were offered by Cromwell "Hell or Connaught" (hell, if they renounced the Catholic religion and kept their possessions, Connaught or banishment, if they refused). The original stone altar is still in excellent preservation and bears the inscription, cut into the stone "Erected by John Cheevers and his wife Ellis, (he being the son and successor of the first "settler.") Just inside the entrance to the tiny chapel, is a holy water font, hewn out of stone and quite shallow, but no one has ever seen it completely dry, even in the driest summer, although there exists no water supply in connection with it.

For generations past, the heads of the family and their wives have been interred within the sacred precincts.

These pages © Ronald Eustice, 2007