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CSO/RP/OR/1831/1131

Letter from R Power, Brigade Major, Rostrevor, [County Down], to Lieutenant Colonel Sir William Gosset, Under Secretary, enclosing a letter from Robert O’Neill, Mill Hill, Castlewellan, [County Down], reporting a large [Ribbon] assembly of approximately 6000 men in the town of Castlewellan on St Patrick’s Day; observing they were ‘accompanied with Drums and Fifes’, engaged in ‘party tunes’ and were led by six mounted men; noting that a number carried firearms and shots were discharged for about two hours.

18 Mar 1831-20 Mar 1831

1831

CSO/RP/OR/1831/1132

Letter from the magistrates of Head Office of Police [Frederick Darley, John C Graves, Henry Charles Sirr, and John Tudor], [Dublin], to Lieutenant Colonel Sir William Gosset, Under Secretary, enclosing a copy letter from Rev William Cox, [incumbent of the Union of Nurney], Kildare, [County Kildare], referring to a confidential communication with an associate who states he encountered a man who ‘had been employed some time in the manufacturing of weapons’; noting the man in question produced a specimen and said he was intent upon travelling from Kilkenny to the city of Dublin to carry on that trade.

25 Mar 1831-26 Mar 1831

1831

CSO/RP/OR/1831/1133

Letter from R Power, Brigade Major, Rostrevor, [County Down], to Lieutenant Colonel Sir William Gosset, Under Secretary, reporting his expectation that a large number of Roman Catholics will assemble in the town of Castlewellan on St Patrick’s Day; noting they are intent upon marching in procession; adding his information comes from Lieutenant [Robert] O’Neill of the Castlewellan yeomanry who is ‘neither an Orangeman or an alarmist’.

15 Mar 1831

1831

CSO/RP/OR/1831/1134

Letter from L Parker, St Peters Port, Athlone, [County Westmeath], to the Chief Secretary [Edward Geoffrey Smith Stanley], drawing attention to his difficulty in receiving rents due to local obstruction; claiming that his nephew was instrumental in having notices posted in the neighbourhood advising that no rent should be paid on his property; noting his efforts to distrain for arrears and remarking upon the counter action of the mob; stressing his hardship in enforcing the law and asking for police assistance. Also letter from Parker to the Chief Secretary, indicating his intention to withdraw his application to government for police aid to distrain for rent.

31 Mar 1831-4 Apr 1831

1831

CSO/RP/OR/1831/1135

Letter from William Pigott, Loughrea, [County Galway], to Henry Pigott, 22 South Frederick Street, [Dublin], reflecting on the disturbed state of the surrounding country; remarking on an attack on the dwellings of Brunskill, Clarke and Shortnessy [Shortnacy] by assailants in search of arms; stating that the assembled mob were comprised of about 5000 ‘vagabonds’, about 100 of whom were carrying arms; stressing the need for military protection.

5 Apr 1831

1831

CSO/RP/OR/1831/1136

Letter from R Pilkington, ’Western Argus’ [newspaper] Office, Galway, County Galway, to Lieutenant Colonel Sir William Gosset, Under Secretary, indicating he has fulfilled a certain ‘promise’ made to government in connection with an exposure of local outrage; alluding to information given to Capt [Bartholomew] Warburton, Police Magistrate, on persons concerned in criminality, and claiming he also provided the ‘means of apprehending them’.

22 May 1831

1831

CSO/RP/OR/1831/1137

Letter from Mrs Richard Power, [née Roche], Cork, [County Cork], to Henry William Paget, Lord Lieutenant, raising the alarm over the intentions of the peasantry in Ireland to rebel; also referring to the intransigence of tenants on the estate of William Coppinger in County Clare, who refuse to work or pay rent and are in possession of a large quantity of firearms; offering some observations on the covert nature of rebellion and remarking her own ‘father was tried for high treason in 1798’.

2 Jun 1831

1831

CSO/RP/OR/1831/1138

File of documents comprising letters and petitions from William Parker of Passage West in County Cork outlining his treatise on the alleviation of agitation, hunger and poverty in Ireland. Includes printed petition from Parker to King George IV, king of the United Kingdom of Ireland and Britain, discussing in particular the advantages of land reclamation as against those of emigration to the colonies as a solution to Irish poverty and idleness. Also includes letter from Parker, Rock Cottage, to Lieutenant Colonel Sir William Gosset, Under Secretary, deploring the effect on the minds of the lower orders caused by the distribution of the ‘Weekly Register’ newspaper of Dublin; expressing empathy with the plight of the Irish peasant and alluding to his ideas for their employment; referring to the ‘Doneraile Conspiracy’ and warning of the pernicious influence of the Roman Catholic seminary at Maynooth [County Kildare] and also the ‘agitators’. Also includes copy letter from Parker to Sir James [Robert George] Graham, [2nd Baronet], 1st Lord of the Admiralty, complaining over the removal of the squadron and abandonment of the naval stores at Cork harbour; also reflecting on the growing campaign for repeal of the union and remarking on a ‘great meeting’ to promote that cause in the city of Cork, attended by ‘hundreds of Protestants, even some professed Orangemen’; commenting also on the presence of firearms amongst the country people and seeking the protection of a few ships to deter the illicit landing of arms. Also includes letter from Parker to Gosset, offering some observations on the case of John Leary, an alleged leader of those engaged in the ‘Doneraile Conspiracy’, who was sentenced to transportation in New South Wales [Australia]; claiming that several of the witnesses in Leary’s case perjured themselves and calling for justice for the ‘venerable old man’. Also includes printed report of the proceedings or trials of those accused of involvement in the ‘Doneraile Conspiracy’. Also includes printed letter from Rev FF Trench, perpetual curate of Cloghjordan [Cloughjordan], [County Tipperary], to the secretary of the Mayo Relief Association, 16 Sackville [O'Connell] Street, Dublin, stressing the desperate scenes of starvation in County Mayo for ‘want of food’.

1 Jan 1828-9 Jul 1831

1831

CSO/RP/OR/1831/1139

File of documents on local fatalities arising from the theft of provisions sent for the relief of the starving in County Mayo. Includes memorial of [Rev] James MacHale, parish priest of Kilcommon and Robeen, Hollymount, [Ballinrobe], to Henry William Paget, Lord Lieutenant, complaining that as many as 3816 individuals in his jurisdiction are without either ‘horse, cow or sheep or any provisions’; stressing the grave consequences of ‘starvation and famine’ on his parishioners and calling for the relief of government. Also includes letter from Abraham Royse, Chief Constable, Outerard [Oughterard], [County Galway], to [Maj] George Warburton, Inspector General of Police [in Connaught], reporting that five policemen conveying a cargo of meal over water from Galway to Oughterard came under attack by a handful of boats each containing about 30 men; remarking in the circumstances the constables chose not to discharge their firearms and ‘lost’ about five tons of meal. Also includes letter from Sgt Maj Samuel Abbott, police constabulary, Westport, [County Mayo], to Warburton, reporting on a case of plunder by the country people in the neighbourhood of Kilbree; stating that a sub-constable and a number of soldiers from the 34th Regiment [of Foot] were employed to supervise the transfer of provisions to the town of Castlebar, for use of the Central Committee of Relief of distress there; remarking the party were attacked by ‘an immense number of persons’ at a place called Sheean and eight cart loads of goods were taken; indicating that a standoff between the authorities and peasantry continued for some time but ended in the deaths of some of the latter following a very severe engagement.

10 Jun 1831-8 Aug 1831

1831

CSO/RP/OR/1831/1140

Letter from Maj William Miller, [Inspector General of Police in Munster], Fermoy, [County Cork], to Lieutenant Colonel Sir William Gosset, Under Secretary, enclosing a letter from [William] Nash, Chief Constable, Roscrea, [County Tipperary], reporting on the killing of a man named Thomas Portens of Templetoohy [Templetouhy]; stating that Portens was waylaid [?at Castle Tay] by a number of men who ‘knocked him down with Stones, leaped on his Body, and beat him on the Head’; observing that a young boy was witness to the attack.

12 Jul 1829-14 Jul 1831

1831