by PATRICK O’SULLIVAN, PEACOCK LANE PRESS 2012
‘Without social history, economic history is barren and political history is unintelligible.’
G.M. Trevelyan
Illustrated English Social History Vol. I, p. 11 (Penguin Books 1964).
The most important component in the fabric of any society is the composition of its human element. In this regard, the names and occupations of people are of primary interest. Certain classes will always feature in history – the ranks of the wealthy, the influential and the most noteworthy, the latter sometimes allied to notoriety. However, the great majority are usually enveloped in a veil of anonymity. Some families are rooted to the earth for generations. This is obviously true of rural areas but in the urban context death, migration or economic factors can obliterate the short-lived presence of former citizens.
While researching material for my book Where Dalua Rolls Its Flood Along: An Historical Profile of Kanturk 1550-1900, the following names were noted from a wide variety of sources including state and estate papers, surveys and valuations, newspapers, journals and directories. This is intended, therefore, as a complementary volume to it.
Easily the most comprehensive for particular details are the Tithe Applotment Valuations and the Primary Valuation of Tenements. Postal and Commercial Directories are arranged usually according to occupation and are confined to entries of professions, trades and landowners. I have indexed some of these by surname to avoid repetitions and to provide easy access without dilution of contents. Of necessity there is a certain degree of over-lapping, especially in the nineteenth century when sources became more plentiful.
Patrick O Sullivan, September 2012
Table of Contents
1. Fiants and Depositions Page 1 (653 Kb, PDF)
[Names of people mentioned in royal edicts and of those who have submitted evidence to State Inquiries appear in these calendared records. Rent Rolls of tenants and other such estate memoranda found in the Egmont Papers provide regular references to people.]
2. Estate Surveys Page 4 (1,3 Mb, PDF)
[Surveys were consistently regular features of estate papers. They might consist of the proprietor’s personal memoranda or designated assessments of his property by third parties. Some were accompanied by maps.]
3. Ryan-Purcell Papers Page 10 (330 Kb, PDF)
[These were preserved for archival purposes by the late John Ryan-Purceil, Burton Park, Churchtown. They consist of a large collection of loose papers relating to the Egmont Estate for the period 1780-1820 in the possession of Sir John Purcell, estate agent, Burton Park and, formerly, Highfort. Also included here are extracts from newspapers and legal documents. (C.A.I, refers to Cork Archives Institute, now in Blackpool, Cork)]
4. Pigot’s Munster Directory 1824 Page 12 (353 Kb, PDF)
[This was the first of many postal directories published in the nineteenth century which include references to Kanturk and district. Others were Aldwell’s, Slater’s and Guy’s, all of which recorded the names and occupations of artisans, professionals and gentry.]
5. Tithe Applotment Valuations 1825 – 1834 Page 14 (1.87 Mb, PDF)
[These were carried out on a civil parish basis on behalf of the Established (Anglican) Church in the period 1825-’35 to assess each land-holder’s liability for the support of the clergy of that church. (Tithe signifies one-tenth) They record the heads of households and quantity of holdings.]
6. AIdwell’s General Directory 1844 Page 23 (395 Kb, PDF)
7. Slater’s National Commercial Directory 1846 Page 25 (705 Kb, PDF)
[These are of special interest spanning the critical Famine years.
8. Slater’s, 1856 Page 28 (500 Kb, PDF)
9. Primary Valuation of Tenements 1852 Page 31 (19 Mb, PDF)
[This invaluable archive, virtually on a par with census returns, was executed for taxation purposes]
10. Guy’s Postal Directory of Munster 1875 Page 75 (723 Kb, PDF)
[This is a particularly useful record of the farming community in the region.]
11. Guy’s Postal Directory of Munster 1889 Page 79 (948 Kb, PDF)
12. Guy’s Postal Directories of County Cork, 1891 & 1893 (Additions only) Page 84 (286 Kb, PDF)