The Great Famine
The following is a list of items which were offered for sale
at a public auction by James Adam Salerooms 26 St Stephen’s
Green , Dublin 2 on 18th May 2010.
They contain Extracts of letters dealing with The Famine
period in
Ireland.
1843 ‘A very great nuisance’
Carlow town, Burton estate from Shewbridge Connor MD,
Physician to the Fever Hospital, May 6 1843, pointing out
that immediately opposite the Court House there has been for
many years a stagnant pool of very considerable depth and
surface, the receptacle of every imaginable filth. ‘Having
reason to think that much of the sickness in the vicinity
arises from this cause’, the officers of health propose to
have the pool filled in and enclosed, at a cost of about
£60, and are hoping for assistance from Sir C. Burton, who
will benefit from what would then be a very valuable site
for building
Co. Carlow, Sir Charles Burton's estate
From Wm. Kelly, Pollerton, Carlow, April 20 [1844], mentioning his earlier proposal to pay 30/- an acre for
Pollerton demesne, now offering £2 an acre for 'the two
upper fields [ad]joining the road and containing about 50
acres', also seeking to take over another field currently
occupied by Thomas Dowling. The letter endorsed in pencil,
'Mr. Elliott knows this man & would not by any means
recommend him as a tenant for the house & demesne.'
1844 - Co. Carlow, Pollerton, Burton estate
From Michael Hade, Rutland, 9 February 1844, complaining
that 'there is a man appointed to take care of the Pollerton
demesne', who came there on the 7th, whereas he had been
promised last November that he would be in charge of it, 'in
expectation of which I bought fire arms and had them
registered for that purpose', the man is reported to have
£18 per year 'while I did the business for the last ten
years for £5 annually', and asking what he should do.
1845 - In Carlow Gaol
From James Brenan, 8 January 1845, to Joseph Kincaid,
concerning his conviction for an assault. 'The Coughlins
swore all before them yesterday particularly the sisters -
they would not take any Money, Revenge they wanted - I am
sentenced to Two Months Confinement between them all', and
asking Kincaid to use his influence with the Lord Lieutenant
to have his sentence reduced; also with a manuscript
Petition, 1 pp folio, from Brenan to Henry Hutton Esq.,
Assistant Barrister for the County of Carlow, imploring him
to take up his case and either shorten his detention in
'this painful prison', or recommend him to his Gracious
Excellency the Lord Lieutenant 'that he may look with
compassion on me and grant me my Liberty - as I am very
Delicate in my health - and in a struggling situation in
life', and with a (very confused) covering letter to Kincaid
asking him to convey the petition to Hutton, or otherwise to
help him. [Evidently the petition went no further].
1845 - 'Their little hands will be lifted up'
Co. Carlow, Leighlinbridge, Frankford estate
From Jane Tyndall, Leighlinbridge, Feb. 23 1845, asking for an
advance on her quarter's salary, not due for another month,
so that her son can fit himself out properly for an
interview with 'the gentlemen shareholders & the undertakers
of the Rail Road', which is to commence on the 1st of March,
the Dean of Leighlin having promised to recommend him for a
situation there. 'May I humbly beg it for this time to put
him in a way to support his poor Family, a Wife and 4
children, for if anything should happen me & he out of a
situation they have no friend that could give them the
smallest relief - do Gentlemen for this time & their little
hands will be lifted up to Him who will help you for saving
them from poverty.'
[Her 'salary' may perhaps have been income from a trust fund
administered by S&K].
1845 - 'Half my potatoes are rotten'
Co. Carlow, Rathach, Frankford estate
From Thos. Kinsella, 11 Nov. 1845, enclosing letter of
credit for his rent, £79.13.0, 'would have sent it sooner
but waiting for the Fair of Carlow as I hadn't it all. I am
sorry to tell you half my potatoes are completely rotten.'
1846 - A petition for 'some encouragement'
Co. Carlow, Pollerton, Burton estate
A manuscript petition signed by three tenants on the Pollerton
estate, James Dwyer, Michl Dwyer and William Kelly, 13
February 1846, saying that in a season like the
present 'we have made all the humble efforts in our power to
meet the Scarcity which is but too truly pressing', and
asking for 'some encouragement' in relation to the rent
(i.e. delayed payment, as offered by other landlords), as
otherwise 'we shall be compelled to sell our Corn at the
present low prices, or still worse to part with our Stock.'
1846 - Co. Carlow, Sir Charles Burton's estate
From Burton's accountant Ian Dalton, 15 May 1846,
querying 'two or three matters in your cash account', mostly
relating to work on the house at Pollerton. 'Mr. Farrell
charges £200.2.6 as amount of "detailed estimate furnished",
I shall be glad to have that estimate. There are two charges
for extra lead & slating £16.3.6 & £16.2.6 which Sir Charles
never authorised to my knowledge. The accounts are not
signed by any architect', etc., with other similar queries.
Co. Kilkenny and Carlow, Frankfort and Burton Estates 1841-45
A box
file containing about 70 original autograph signed letters
concerning Lord Frankfort's estates in counties Kilkenny and
Carlow, 1841-45, much about rents, payments, crops, yields,
prices, a murder, land improvements, drainage etc.; with a
further 20 letters concerning the Burton estate in Co.
Carlow 1842-46.Raymond de Montmorency, second Viscount
Frankfort, owned some 5,000 acres in Carlow and Kilkenny,
especially in the townland of Coolcullen near Castlecomer,
acquired through a marriage alliance.
1844-5 - 'The figure of a coffin on the notice'
Co. Kilkenny, Castlecomer, Coolcullen, Lord Frankford's estate.
From Major Diamond, Mongonvaugh House, 14 Dec. 1844. Michael
Brennan has told him he has lost a heifer valued at £6 from
his farm, also says his farm is 'thrown down', gates thrown
open and broken, can get no man to herd on the farm. 'He
says that if Michael Purcell is allowed to live as he is in
the centre of his lands, he cannot hold the farm as it was
in his [Purcell's] house that the murderers of his
[Brennan's] brother lodged the night before the murder, and
are daily lurking after his own life & [his] Brother's ..
There is nothing doing about the murder, although the
murderers are all well known and at large.'
With a second letter, 9 January 1845, 'I forgot on last day to
mention that Mr. Brennan had engaged a man to herd.. his
farm and before the man came he was served with a notice not
to go on pain of his life, the figure of a coffin on the
notice and marked with blood'; a third, 8 March 1845,
reporting that 'the two persons who were in gaol for the
murder of Mtt. Brennan have been released'; and a fourth,
12th May, outlining his efforts to resolve a row between
Michael Brennan and his neighbours about passage through the
field in which Matt Brennan was murdered.
Also from Michael Brennan, Coolcullen, July 30th 1845,
3 pp, about his dispute with Pat Purcell. 'I have now to
acquaint you that I have two police with me without any
expense to Lord Frankford as Captain Roberts considered that
three months protection would be of no use to me knowing the
party I had to deal with, I have to find them only with fuel
and candle light and can have them as long as I deem
necessary, as to the difference with Purcel it was arranged
by the Magistrate that he should not trespass on my land
again but .. he continued to do so for which he was fined or
in default thereof to go to jail for one month which he
chose, tomorrow he returns home. Two of his brothers are at
present employed by John Clear on my very bounds and from
their conduct the Police and me are apprehensive of an
attack from them.' He says that if his house were slated
instead of being thatched with straw, 'with the help of
Providence we would defate them ', and suggests that Lord
Frankford might arrange this.
1848 - The tribulations of a works overseer
Co. Kilkenny, Coolcullen
From Wm. Sherriff, 12 Feby 1848,
reporting slow progress of
drainage works on the Frankford estate. 'I can't get enough
of labourers to do the work, there is employment for 50 men
at present, several of them tried it, and when they found
that they could not get money without working hard for it,
walked off with themselves, those who were getting the
relief money in Coolcullen are about 35, most of which are
at the Drains. I will give notice to the person who gives
out the relief money to give no more to anyone in Coolcullen
as they don't choose to work ..'
With a second letter, 19 February, giving a different view. The
labourers are now 'quite anxious for employment, and are all
in great need of it, I have therefore got a good deal done
last week .. At first I was inclined to think that the cause
of the labourers not pressing on to the work proceeded from
a lasey disposition; but I now find the case to be quite
otherwise as they are inclined to work, and prove good
labourers .. On entering on business here I was quite
ignorant of the wretched state of misery and privation of
both labourers and occupiers, but now that I am aware of
those matters, I am convinced that it would be most
desirable that the men would be paid weekly, as their want
of the necessities of life so much require it. During the
last 25 years I have been travelling over land and observing
its various qualities and in many instances its great want
of improvement; but never have I in any one instance
witnessed the existence of such a state of neglect and want
of improvement as the entire of Coolcullen lands presents to
view.'
A third letter, 18th March 1848, says it is useless to proceed with
drainage plans for those tenants that have so far not
complied, 'as they are one and all resolved, that at the
expiration of 22 years the expense thus incurred will amount
to about 7/6 an acre, the payment of which, they unanimously
declare, Viscount Frankfort or his heirs will enforce for
ever after. I was but a short time here when I was led to
think the tenantry of Coolcullen, with very few exceptions,
were regularly combined against the full payment of rents,
now daily experience has confirmed my opinions on this
matter. Since the Murder of Brennan, at which unworthy deed
many of them will rejoice, they seem to think Coolcullen
their own .. When I speak to any of them on purposes of
improvement, they generally make an abusive or insolent
reply; and if I break down a ditch or take up a small bridge
to make a sufficient water passage, all of which I repair
again, I am in many such cases strongly opposed. After a
minute inspection into the qualities of the lands of
Coolcullen, I am fully convinced there is scarcely any part
of it if drained, but is capable of producing the best of
turnips, as also excellent Oats, Barley & Crops - but the
misfortune is that most of the occupiers are so deplorably
ignorant, lazy and averse to improvement that they don't
know how to set their servants or children to profitable
employment, much less to work themselves, and my opinion is
that if they kept fewer horses and more cows, they would be
far better able to pay rent and also to live more
comfortably. But instead of any industrious exertions on
their part, their constant cry is too dear, too dear ..'
A fourth letter, 27 June, acknowledges receipt of £50 to pay the
labourers, 'which is something over £20 short'. As the
labourers are in great distress, and can scarce hold out
until their money comes due, and the farmers that are
filling the drains are equally as bad, he asks for the
balance by return of post.
Source: http://www.artfact.com/
& http://www.adams.ie/documents/emailcat.pdf
Please report any links or images which do not open to
mjbrennan30@gmail.com
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