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CSO/RP/1823/2441

File of papers relating to expenses incurred by the Irish Records Commission, in the work carried out to digest and abstract the information gathered by the enumerators employed under the population act, during the 1821 census. Includes letter from William Shaw Mason, Record Tower, Dublin Castle, to Henry Goulburn, Chief Secretary, Dublin Castle, 7 June 1823, enclosing 2 parts of the population abstract prepared for parliament [not present], and explaining that priorty was given to first examining and digesting the enumerators' original returns for 'distressed & disturbed Districts'. Refers to the 'laborious' nature of the work, and to difficulties encountered, but noting that, 'I have the satisfaction to reflect that they have been surmounted - and that those Returns, even in their abridged from, will present a View of this part of the Empire which has never before been fully exhibited', 7 June 1823; Mason encloses a statement of account of 'the Expenses incurred under the Population Act from 28th November 1822 to the 28 February 1823', signed by Mason, Aprtil 1823. With subsequent pencil annotation on account, by Goulburn, querying the final payment of £500 listed for 'Services in ascertaining the number of Houses, Families, Sexes, Ages, Occupations and Scholars in Ireland from the Enumerators' Return-Books'. File also includes further letter from Mason, Record Tower, to Goulburn, 1 October 1823, enclosing a more detailed account of the expenses of those persons employed in 'Digesting the Books of Returns under the Population Act', and urging a speedy approval of them, in order to pay those individuals involved, 'to whom the smallest remuneration was an object'. The account is arranged by province, with tabular headings for 'Number of Souls'; Houses and Families (A); Sexes and Ages (B); Schools & Observations (C); Farms (D); Examination, tot, and cross tot of Ages (E); Occupations (F); and Office Register (G), stating the total sum for each across Leinster, Munster, Ulster, and Conaught. The account is also accompanied by separate acccounts giving fuller details of expenses incurred under each heading (A) to (G), arranged by individual county across all 4 provinces; counties numbered 1-40. The tables include a statement of the numbers of souls in each county. File also includes a letter from Daniel Brazill, 9 Montague Street, Dublin, to Goulburn, renewing his claim for payment of money owed to him for services under the Population Act, and expressing fears that he will soon be imprisoned for debt as a result of the delay in payment, 4 October 1823; he encloses an account detailing his work since 4 November 1822. Bazill complains that he has been left 'begging' for what he is entitled to; with subsequent annotation overleaf on Brazill's letter, by Mason, 7 October 1823. The file also contains a printed 'Model of the Abstract of Returns now Preparing for Parliament [under] the Population Act', December 1822, produced by Record Tower, Dublin Castle. This sample abstract contains information for the townlands in the parishes of Inchicronane [Inchicronan] and Cloney [Clooney], in the barony of Bunratty, County Clare. Statistics are arranged under the general headings of houses, persons, ages, occupations, schools, and farms. On the reverse of the abstract is a list of the various occupations returned by the enumerators; as well as a printed sample extract from the original return for the parish of Inchicronan, 'in order to shew [sic] the nature of the process according to which the preceding MODEL has been arranged'. This extract includes a list of the names of individual inhabitants of several houses in the townlands of Inchicronan Island and Moymolane.

Nov 1822- 7 Oct 1823

1823

CSO/RP/1823/2442

Letter from John McNamara, Limerick, County Limerick, president of the Limerick city Chamber of Commerce, to Henry Goulburn, Chief Secretary, Dublin Castle, 10 November 1823, enclosing a copy of a petition from the Chamber of Commerce, to Richard Wellesley, 1st marquis Wellesley, Lord Lieutenant, Dublin Castle, presented by the Earl of Clare in July 1823, requesting Wellesley to incorporate a society of merchants of Limerick city, in pursuance of legislation passed, 'For the better government of the City of Limerick & the due appropriation of the revenues thereof'. McNamara also encloses a copy of the list of names that were also submitted to Wellesley, of individuals for possible selection into the new guild of merchants; the list contains the names of 50 of the city's principal bankers, merchants and traders. McNamara emphasises the importance of the subject to Limerick city, and urges that the matter be settled. With susbequent annotation on McNamara's letter, by Goulburn. [Contains list of names not given in this description]

21 Jul 1823-10 Nov 1823

1823

CSO/RP/1823/2443

Letter from Major George Warburton, Ennis, County Clare, inspector general of police for Connaught and chief poice magistrate of County Clare, to Henry Goulburn, Chief Secretary of Ireland, [London], seeking payment of the expenses incurred by the guard boat establishment of police on the River Shannon, since its formation 16 months ago. Details the scale of the establishment, and emphasises the 'very material Service rendered to the public', 30 January 1823; with subsequent annotation on reverse, by Goulburn, and addressed to William Gregory, Under Secretary, Dublin Castle, seeking to know from what fund any money already paid to the establishment has come from. Also letter from Gregory, Dublin Castle, to Goulburn, [London], reporting that no money has so far been paid, 'as there is no fund out of which this Expense could be defrayed'. Gregory also expresses doubts about the utility of 'this very expensive Water Police', 15 March 1823. File also contains letter from Warburton, to Gregory, acknowledging receipt of letter from Gregory, and enclosing monthly reports of the duties performed by the waterguard police on the River Shannon [none present]. Warburton notes that its services 'may be soon dispensed with', but emphasises the need for a gradual disbandment, in order to avoid the appearance of policing reductions. Also requests that those eligible employees are found positions under the new constabulary act, and recommends that its officer, Lieutenant John R Bindon of the Royal Navy, be apppointed as a chief constable of police. Also further letter from Warburton, to Gregory, reporting on his initial reductions in his water police, by the reduction of the number of boats, 8 May 1823; with subsequent pencil annotation on reverse by Richard Wellesley, 1st marquis Wellesley, Lord Lieutenant, Dublin Castle; Warburton forwards a letter from Bindon, Kildysart [Killadysert], County Clare, 24 April 1823, seeking Warburton's assistance to obtain alternative employment in the event of the boat service being discontinued, and encloses a petition from Bindon, to the Irish government, accompanied by several supporting documents [Bindon's letter to Warburton is present, but his petition and supporting documents are not].

30 Jan 1823-8 May 1823

1823

CSO/RP/1823/2444

Letter from Richard Verschoyle, James Crofton, Charles Malcom, and Alderman Sir Abraham Bradley King, Royal Harbour of George IV board room, Kingstown [Dunleary; Dún Laoghaire], County Dublin, commissioners of Kingstown harbour, to Henry Goulburn, referring to a representation made by Captain Charles Malcolm, of the Royal Yacht 'William and Mary' in Kingstown harbour, of the necessity of spare stores at the harbour for the use of the Royal Yacht, her tender, 'and for the Essex convict Hulk shortly expected' at Kingstown, 18 December 1823. They enclose a copy of a letter from John Aird, Royal harbour Kingstown, resident engineer at the harbour, to George Darling, secretary to the commissioners, detailing his estimate of the cost of the construction of harbour stores, originally dated 17 December 1823, and enclosing a map showing a plan and front elevation of the proposed stores. Map drawn in ink, with blue and grey colour washes.

17 Dec 1823-18 Dec 1823

1823

CSO/RP/1823/2445

File of papers relating to arrear of money owed by Alexander Holmes, distributor of stamps for Dublin district, to government. Includes letter from John Trench and Edward Glascock, stamp office, Dublin, commissioners of stamps, to Henry Goulburn, Chief Secretary, Dublin Castle, reporting an 'enormous' balance of £17,276. 9. 7 due by Holmes, to government, as revealed during a recent inspection of the distributor's accounts, made at the request of the parliamentary commissioners of [revenue] inquiry. Details the amount since paid by Holmes to reduce the arrear, the sum still outstanding, and the actions taken by the commissioners, 28 November 1823; encloses copies of their correspondence with Holmes, (numbered 1-3), 26 November-27 November, in which Holmes negotiates for time to repay the balance, and attributes the accrual of such a large balance to his chief clerk, 'in whom I placed implicit confidence, withholding large sums of Money, which should have been paid to the Receiver General, of which I had not the slightest suspicion….'. The commissioners also enclose a copy extract of the stamp act, detailing the penalties to be imposed on distributors who neglect to pay the monies received by them on account of stamp duties (this is numbered 4). File also includes a draft of letter of reply from Goulburn, to the commissioners of stamps, 29 November 1823. Also includes letter from Trench and Glascock, stamp office, to Goulburn, concerning the money still owed by Holmes, 4 December 1823, and enclosing a statement of his account, from 17 November-3 December 1823, signed by Robert Mulock, comptroller, stamp office, Dublin. File also includes a further letter from Trench and Glascock, to Goulburn, enclosing a copy of the legal case on behalf of the stamp office, concerning the balance of money due by Holmes, prepared in order to obtain the opinion of the Attorney General of Ireland: the case notes detail the circumstances of the case; the copy of the opinion of William Conyngham Plunket, Attorney General, is annexed to the case notes, originally dated 13 December 1823. File also contains a petition and letter from Holmes, submitted to the Irish government, detailing the money repaid by him, and seeking reinstatement to his post, 15; 22 January 1824.

26 Nov 1823-22 Jan 1824

1824

CSO/RP/1823/2446

Letter from Charles Kendal Bushe, Kilmurry, Thomastown, County Kilkenny, Lord Chief Justice of Ireland, to Henry Goulburn, Chief Secretary, Dublin Castle, 24 September 1823, enclosing a letter from Bushe, on behalf of all the judges of the Irish Court of King's Bench, to Richard Wellesley, 1st marquis Wellesley, Lord Lieutenant, Dublin Castle, expressing their concerns at the inadequacy of the jails across Dublin, and, in turn, enclosing a report commissioned by the jugdes, from Major James Palmer and Major Benjamin Blake Woodward, inspectors general of Irish prisons. The report provides information on the available accommodation at each of the jails in Dublin: Newgate; Richmond Bridewell; Smithfield Penitentiary; and the City Marshalsea, with a breakdown of the numbers of prisoners by gender, age, and type, such as those serving short-term sentences and those sentenced to transportation. In particular, the inspectors highlight the over-crowding in many of the jails, rendering the classification of prisoners impossible. The report observes that at Newgate, 'it is vain to supply the prisoners with Clothes, which would be destroyed as soon as received, and consequently the naked and miserable state of the prisoners is revolting to the feelings of humanity'. The inspectors offer 2 proposals for remedying the problems highlighted: either a partial solution by the erection of an additional building in the garden of the Richmond bridewell, or their preferred option, 'the erection of a Newgate on a new site, and to contain 500 prisoners'. In the short-term they recommend several proposals, including the use of a prison hulk [ship] to temporaily accommodate the surplus prisoners from Newgate and the Richmond Bridewell. Report dated Dublin, 29 July 1823. Also note in hand of Goulburn, referring to the difficulties of the subject, with a subsequent annotation by Wellesley.

29 Jul 1823-24 Sep 1823

1823

CSO/RP/1823/2447

Letter from Henry Hobhouse, Whitehall, London, joint under secretary of the Home Department, to Henry Goulburn, Chief Secretary, Dublin Castle, forwarding, for the attention of the Irish government, a letter from Ellen Hippisley, 8 Upper York Street, Bryanstone Square, London, to Robert Peel, Secretary of State for the Home Department, London, 18 July 1823, enclosing her petition to King George IV, detailing her circumstances, and in particular her various familial and financial misfortunes, and seeking government assistance. Describes the respectability of her family connections, her brother being John Fitzgerald, former Knight of Glen [Glin], County Kerry; her marriage at aged 16 to a colonel of the 9th dragoons, to the disapproval of her brother and mother; her husband's subsequent ill-fortune and debt; her efforts to obtain a deed of separation from her husband, 'in the hope of joining the little due in right of myself'; and her own subsequent debt. States that she is not entitled to any money from the War Office, her husband, 'having embarked in the Patriot Cause to South America'. Also emphasises the financial difficulties of her Fitzgerald relations, including her nephew, the Knight of Glin, as a result of their loyalty to government. Requests assitance to support her children, in view of her 'Illustrious' family's services to the crown, 18 July 1823. The petition is certified by James Crosbie, MP for County Kerry; and by John Fitzgibbon, Earl of Clare.

18 Jul 1823-7 Aug 1823

1823

CSO/RP/1823/2448

Letter from Matthew Barrington, Dublin, crown solicitor for Munster circuit, to William Gregory, Under Secretary, Dublin Castle, 29 November 1823, enclosing, as requested by Gregory, a map and estimate for a proposed line of road in counties Tipperary and Limerick, near the villages of Murrow [sic; Murroe] and Abington in County Limerick. Barrington states that he is willing to contribute funds to the proposed work, 'which would give employment at a very small expense, to a number of persons who are in the Greatest Distress, and open a Communication to several Towns through a range of Mountains now impassable…'. Emphasises that the area has been free of outrage, and therefore, its inhabitants are entitled to government funding, in order to provide them with winter employment. The estimate is prepared and signed by James Dwyer, and contains a list of itemised expenditure for the new road, including the cost of stones, gunpowder for blasting, quarrying costs, and labour. It is accompanied by a map, also prepared by Dwyer, entitled 'A Plan of A New Line of Road Between Murroe and UpperChurch (Which is Proposed to Shorten the Road Between Limerick and Thurles) Commencing at Laurence Hartnedy's House, Munfune [Mongfune], Murroe. And Ending at Mrs Roache's Avenue Vokeluce, on the Present Road That meets the Line from Newport, to Upperchurch, Co. Tipperary. Containing 2 miles, 6 Furlongs, 26½ Perches, Plantation measure, Situated in the Barony of Owneybeg, County of Limerick and Mapped in November 1823…'. Map drawn in black ink with colour washes, with the proposed new line of road indicated by red wash.

29 Nov 1823

1823

CSO/RP/1823/2449

Petition of John Peters, 42 Kildare Street, Dublin, to Richard Wellesley, 1st marquis Wellesley, Lord Lieutenant, Dublin Castle, detailing his complaints against Dublin Corporation, for a 'most disgraceful and Criminal Violation of their duty' through their misappropriation of funds collected from the city's inhabitants via taxation. Refers to the 'numerous' complaints made by Dublin householders, concerning the Corporation's levying of money, and in particular, 'the dishonest Application' of that money. Refers to the history of the Corporation and to the charter of incorporation granted to Dublin city; alleges that the contents of the charter are deliberately kept concealed by the Corporation, as it refers to, 'certain Important duties…to be performed', which they have 'utterly neglected'. Complains in particular at the over-charge and misapplication of the metal main and pipe water taxes. States that as a result of their financial mismanagement, the Corporation has brought Dublin to a state of 'Poverty, and disgrace', and he details their 'Illegal Issue, of what they call City Bonds', and to a significant short fall in their funds which, 'they have for some years contrived to cover, by taking [money] from the Metal Main..'. Peters claims that local taxation levied on householders in the city of Dublin is far greater than that in the city of London. Also mentions the findings of the commissioners of inquiry, respecting the misapplication of public money by Dublin Corporation. Urges Wellesley to use his powers to intervene on behalf of the city's inhabitants, emphasising that the lord mayor, sheriffs and aldermen of Dublin have rendered the charter void, by failing in their public duty.

27 Aug 1823

1823

CSO/RP/1823/2450

File of papers containing series of identical pre-printed petitions, addressed to Richard Wellesley, Lord Lieutenant, prepared by the County Kilkenny grand jury gathered at spring assizes 1823, on behalf of each of the county's baronial police constables being recommended by the grand jury for superannuation. Each form is completed with handwritten entries for the name of each individual constable, their period of service, and their age, and is signed by each constable, and certified by Robert Flood, grand jury foreman. Petition forms printed by Abraham Denroche, Kilkenny, printer. The baronial constables applying for superannuation are: William Holmes; Edward Dodson; George Wright; Walter Ebbs; Robert Purcell; Richard Greene; William Leary; John McMullen; James Fluellin; Mark Seigne; James Hatchett; John Bernie [also written Berney]; Maurice Cronyn; Barry Mathews; Robert Hamilton; Robert Nesbitt; John Holmes; John Alcock; and James Doyle.

1823

1823