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Captain William Bunbury McClintock Bunbury (1800 - 1866)
3. The Political Years 1835 - 1866
This page will be consistently updated. Comments and corrections are much appreciated.
1. The Formative
Years 1800 - 1815.
2. The Sea Years 1815
- 1835.
3. The Political Years 1835 - 1866.
4. The Captain's Diary
In 1846, Captain Bunbury succeeded
to his uncle's seat as MP for Carlow.
He would remain closely involved with
parliamentary affairs until ill-health
obliged him to step down in 1862.
General Election 1835 - Kavanagh & Bruen vs. Cahill & O'Connell
The Whig opposition were preparing to take on Peel's Ministry over the abolition of slavery. Polling for the General Election was due to start in Carlow on Wednesday 14th January 1835 with Thomas Kavanagh of Borris and his son-in-law Colonel Henry Bruen standing for the Tory party. On Sunday 11th January the Rev. Thomas Tyrell, PP of Tinryland from 1823 - 1843, visited Colonel Bruen and proposed that he share the county with the enlightened Whig Nicholas Aylward Vigors of Old Leighlin. (43a) Tyrell hoped that by avoiding a contest, tempers would be cooled but Bruen refused to compromise. The outgoing MP, Walter Blakeney (44), proposed Maurice O'Connell, son of the Great Emancipator, and Tyrell proposed Michael Cahill, a young barrister from the Queen's County whose father owned some property in Carlow Town. Thomas Kavanagh and Colonel Bruen were duly returned but a Select Committee of the House of Commons then found that the Carlow Tories had been elected "by the forcible abduction of voters and by unfair and fraudulent scheme and practices" not unlike those lately employed by Robert Mugabe's Zanu PF Party in Zimbabwe. The election was declared null and void and a new election called for in June.
On Sunday 15th June 1835, the Rev. Patrick Kehoe (1791-1858) delivered a sermon from the altar of the chapel in Leighlinbirdge which amounted to a volatile condemnation of Bruen and Kavanagh's Conservative campaign. He began with an attack on 'the hypocritical proselytizing apostate lick-spittle Pat Neill and his brother ... [who] got £70 for voting against his country, his religion and his God on the last election'. Appalled by the impending Poor Laws, he goes on to lambast the 'bloody landlords, these tyrannical despots'. Into his path now stepped 'Orange Bruen - he who always opposed Catholic Emancipation till it was extorted from the government and his opposition could no longer be any injury ... it is Bruen who said in Parliament (the only time that he did not give a silent vote) that the Priests instigated the people to commit murder and all kinds of outrage and that till the Priests were exterminated the country would not be fit for Christians to live in ... why this Bruen always supported tithes - blood-guilty tithes - tithes that have murdered and bayoneted you ... as they did at Rathcormac and Newtownbarry ... but i tell you, if you gain this election before the end of the year, there will be no such thing as tithes ... Well boys, Bruen and Kavanagh, I think you'll agree with me are neither fit, discreet nor honest men to represent the County of Carlow. But I'll tell you who is an honest man. Vigors is an honest man - he who has taken upon himself the people's rights and is determined to protect them ... The Protestant clergy are now very different from what they were; they are no longer the fine gentlemen they were, but are in a sad hobble and we'll make them in a greater hobble .... these Orange Conservatives (ie: Bruen and Kavanagh) are very confident like the devil when he tempted our Saviour in the wilderness, but we'll strike terror and fear into their hearts on Tuesday. I hope it will not be necessary to draw the sword for I hope the very sight of the scabbard will be enough to frighten them. But I tell you boys, if the Conservatives gain this election - they can't gain it - but if by perjury, threats and violence, they do gain it - if the do trick us out of our representatives on this as they did at the last election, more blood will flow than there is water in the River Barrow'. (With thanks to Anne Buckley).
In the ensuing election, Vigors
and Alexander Raphael won the contest, but they were in turn unseated by
a committee of enquiry with the Tories ultimately managing to retain their
seats.
Following the Lichfield House Compact, Lord Melbournes' Whig minority
government is dependent on honouring Melbourne's promise to O'Connell of "justice for Ireland", enabling him to tackle issues on
reforming local government in Ireland. In this regard, O'Connell is helped
by protestants in Dublin Castle such as Thomas Drummond (under-secretary
of state) and Viscount Morpeth (Chief Sec) who were both encouraging catholic
participation in the judicial and administrative ranks. A Commission of
Enquiry is set up to investigate the reform of Irish municipal corporations.
Footnotes
(43) Fr. Thomas Tyrrell was a native of Bally roan, Co.Laois. He was PP of
Doonane from **1815 **to 1823 when he was transferred to Tinryland where he remained until his death on 24 August 1842. Many of his parishioners at this
time were tenantsof the landlords Bruen and Beresford and this probably began his interest in politics .At this time in Carlow the Borough
of Carlow sent one representative to Parliament and the County*sent two. The bill giving Catholic Emancipationwas made law on 13 April
1829. A separate bill was passed at the same time, which raised thecounty
franchise from forty shillings to £ 10. Thishad the effect of reducing the number of people who could vote in the
County constituency fromabout 4000 to 530. This was an attempt to limit the effect of the emancipation bill and it deprived many forty-shilling
freeholders of the vote. Thevery people who had forced the question of emancipation were to be deprived of thefruits of it. This just added to the
feelings of bitterness, which had built up over the previous decade. However a Reform Bill was passed in August 1832 and it increased the
electorate in the County to about 1246. Also, the borough franchise was extended to £ I 0
householders, the same as in England. Special sessions for the registration
of new voters were set up and the number of people entitled to vote in the
next borough election would be considerably greater than the thirteen who
had the vote in the last one. In the 1832 election 278 people **had the right
to vote in the Borough. It must be remembered that at this time voting was
not secret and sometimes the local papers published a list of the voters and how they cast their votes. The landlords
expected that their tenants would vote as directed by them. The previous elections in the County from the Act of Union in 1801 were
just contests between various landlords. Now with the coming of Catholic
Emancipation and the passing of the Reform Act the power of the landlords could be challenged.
This was the situation into which Fr. Tyrrell threw his energies. In May 1830 he addressed a Poor Law meeting in Maryborough and he
also proposed a motion at a Reform meeting in Carlow on 24th May, 1832. He seconded Wallace, the Liberal candidate, at
the election in December 1832. Wallace and the other Liberal candidate, Walter Blackney were elected. The Conservatives
tried to have the result overturned and a Parliamentary Committee investigated the
election. Fr. Tyrrell travelled from Tinryland to Londonand gave evidence
before this committee in May 1833.
Vigors co-founded the Zoological Society of London with Sir Stamford
Raffles and was its Honourable Secretary for its first 7 years. He was also
a member of many European literary and science societies. His son CFS Vigors
was killed in April 1844, aged 33, while competing in the Grand Military
Steeplechase at the "Moor of Meath". He is also presumably related
to Colonel Philip Vigors, editor of Irish Memorials of the Dead.
(44) Blakeney was the only Catholic gentleman resident in Ireland at this
time. His 800 acre estate was tied up with Lord Kenmare.
1836 Events
· Daniel Robertson working on Dunleckny Manor.
· Darwin returns from five years at sea on the Beagle.
· N.A.Vigors accusing John Alexander of harassment of catholic tenants
- an accusation that, to quote Jimmy O'Toole, was hotly denied.
· Death of Walter Kavanagh, eldest son of Thomas Kavanagh.
· Grand Orange Lodge, hampered by prohibitions against their demonstrations
and dismissals of sympathetic magistrates, disbands itself in April.
· The Dublin Metropolitan Police is established.
Death of the Rev. Alexander McClintock
On 6th August 1836, William's 61-year-old uncle Alexander 'Alick' McClintock passed away in Wexford after a long illness. Born on 6th January 1775, he was the second son of Bumper Jack McClintock and younger brother to John McClintock of Drumcar. He obtained an MA and became Rector of Newtown Barry and Clonegal in the diocese of Ferns. In 1790 he married Anne, daughter of Mervyn Pratt. They had children. His brother Henry wrote that 'he had been ill for more than a year with some inward complaint & died near Enniscorthy (where he had removed for the benefit of sea air) in the County Wexford. See Burke's LG.
CHARLEY DOYNE & THE BERESFORD EVICTIONS
"The image of [Lord] Beresford as an absentee landlord was tough and
uncompromising, a policy carried out with ruthless effect during the time of
agent Charles Doyne. Doyne, whose family had a large estate in Tullow, was
also land agent for the Kavanagh's of Borris, and with such a large block of
tenant farmer votes under his control, he wielded enormous power during the
political turmoil of the 1830's ...
There were few estates in the county during that period to equal the level
of evictions experienced by tenants of Beresford. In 1836 , the Liberal
politician Nicholas Alward Vigors, in a petition to Parliament, said 86
families had been evicted in the parish of Bagenalstown during the previous
few years. Fifteen families were issued with notices to quit in Slyguff, and
at one point, Beresford was accused of having evicted 103 families.
In March 1835, Doyne was quoted as having told a meeting of tenants -"that
Lord Beresford was determined to provide a class of tenants for his estate
over whom the priests would have no influence". In that policy , Doyne
seems to have succeeded because Fr. Andrew Phelan , a curate in Dunleckney,
accused Beresford of "persecuting Catholics because of their religion".
Seventeen families were evicted from Kilcloney, and of the 120 acres
involved, 100 acres were given to two Protestant families, and the remainder
to two Catholic tenants. Evictions were a much used political propaganda
weapon capitalised on by the opponents of landlords at election time ; and
frequently , notices to quit -- sometimes not acted upon -- were added to
the statistics of actual evictions. Landlords were sensitive in such
propaganda wars, and in 1841, Beresford successfully sued The Morning
Chronicle for its inaccurate and libellous description of evictions on his
estate near Tinryland' .
From pages 24--27. "The Carlow Gentry" by Jimmy O' Toole (1993), pp. 24-27.
The Carlow By-Election - Bruen v. Vigors 1837
February saw County Carlow plunged into what The Times ambitiously described as an electoral campaign of great 'turbulence and excitement' the likes of which had 'never [been] witnessed, even in Ireland'. William's uncle Thomas Bunbury of Moyle was called back from Bath to represent the Conservative interest alongside Colonel Bruen. At stake was the vacant seat of Thomas Kavanagh, who had died earlier in the year. In the by-election that followed, Sir Thomas Butler had nominated 'that upright man and kindly landlord, Thomas Bunbury, Esq, of Moyle, as a fit and proper person to represent this county in Parliament', a proposition followed by 'partial applause and hissing'. Mr. W. F. Burton seconded the nomination and said Tom Bunbury was 'an upright gentleman and well deserved the honour of being elected as their representative'. R. Clayton-Browne and Henry Faulkner also voiced support for Tom. In opposition, W Blackney (proposing Nicholas Vigors) and the Rev. Tyrrell (again seconding Vigors) apologised for disputing 'any gentleman remarkable for his kindness and his domestic virtues' (ie: Tom) but principle obliged them to do so. In his address to the electorate, Father Tyrrell launched a scathing attack on Colonel Bruen before concluding that Thomas Bunbury should 'go to his family in Bath'. Mr. Bunbury, he noted, was 'a man in years and no one has ever made a figure in Parliament when he entered it in his old age. He could make no figure there and he was too old to be a laughing stock. In his [Tyrrell's] opinion, God or nature never fitted Tom Bunbury out for a public man'. This was followed by loud cheers. A heated row then ensued between Colonel Bruen and Vigors, with the latter calling for Tom Bunbury to stand up and make his principles known. Bruen seems to have dominated the speaking platform, largely in defence of his past actions, and Bunbury did not speak at all. When the poll was taken at day's end, Vigors duly beat Bunbury by 501 votes to 465, a gross poll victory of 36.
General Election
William IV the Sailor King died on June 21st 1837 and his 18-year-old niece Princess Victoria succeeded as Queen of Britain and Ireland. One of her first acts was to dismiss Sir John Conroy, the Roscommon-born rogue who had effectively controlled her life up to that point. At the General Election which followed her accession, the return of the Tory administration under Sir Robert Peel signified the end of the Whig-O'Connell alliance, as Peel's dominance in the House of Lords enabled him to restrict the promised social and economic reforms in Ireland. O'Connell then set about organising his mass rallies, which culminated at Clontarf in 1843. The Captain received a letter his maternal uncle,Thomas Bunbury of Lisnavagh, in relation to the forthcoming Co. Carlow election: '... It is the unanimous wish of the Carlow gentry that I should again suffer myself to become a candidate. I fear that I must yield to this request. This, however, must be the last time of asking. ..' [SeeG/5/6 and G/6/2.] Tom Bunbury and Henry Bruen duly stood for the Tories in Carlow again but Vigors was returned, along with John Ashton Yates, bringing the Catholic Whig interests to the heart of Westminster in the first year of Queen Victoria's reign. I believe this victory was later called into question. I need to look at these events more closely.
Death of Lord Clancarty
On 24th November 1837, life at Drumcar came to a brief halt with the news of the death of Lady Elizabeth McClintock's brother, the 2nd Earl of Clancarty, at Kinnegad, Co. Westmeath. He was succeeded by his eldest son, William Le Poer Trench (1803-1872). Captain Bunbury was in the Louth neighbourhood, as he drove from Drumcar to visit his uncle Henry on 27 November.
SCOTTISH TOUR of 1837
The Lisnavagh archives (G/10) contain a diary from 1837, indicating the Captain went on a tour of his ancestral land, Scotland. This includes a hotel bill from Edinburgh.
1837 Events
· It is notable that Captain Bunbury purchased a complete volumes of Wilberforce’s Memoirs when they were published in 1837, suggesting he had an interest in what the man who abolished slavery had to say.
In India, Hugh Gough is given command of the Mysore division of
the Madras Army.
· William Tighe appointed High Sheriff for Co. Carlow.
· John McClintock's brother-in-law, John Lefroy, promoted
to lieutenant and sent to Chatham in August where he became devoted to the
study of practical astronomy, his talent for magnetic observations being
such that he was sent to St. Helena in 1840 (where in 1842 he assisted at
the disinterment of the remains of Napoleon I when they were removed to
France) and later to North America to make various meteorological and magnetical
surveys.
· Ordnance
Survey Ireland (OSI) begins mapping Ireland, ultimately producing
handrawn maps of the entire country. These maps, drawn
at a scale of 6 inches to a mile, were etched in reverse on copper plate,
printed in gray scale and then hand colored. Now after three years of work,
ESRI Ireland, a geographical information systems firm working for the OSI
has taken these historic maps and joined them together seamlessly. The ultimate
goal is to make them available online.
1838 Events
· Irish Poor Laws passed into law, suggesting that the Government
is finally addressing problem but their direct and high-handed manner earn
them more resentment than respect.
· Outbreak of Afghan War between Britain and Afghanistan (until
1842) leads to the fall of Governor-General Auckland and his replacement
by Lord Ellenborough.
· Brougham carriage, a four-wheel (sometimes two) one-horse
carriage designed by Henry (later Baron) Brougham, a former Lord Chancellor
of England, with a capacity of two to four persons. Colonel Kane Bunbury
had one which he liked very much.
· First electric telegraph in Britain.
the night of the big wind 1839
Every person in Ireland must have been greatly affected by the events of the first week of January 1839. It began with the assasination of the 3rd Earl of Norbury, grandson of the famous Hanging Judge who sentenced the Finnegan Gang of Rathvilly to death back in 1822. Lord Norbury died at midday on Thursday January 3rd having been shot in the lung and arm with eight slugs of a gun while strolling down one of the avenues of his home at Durrow Castle two days earlier. And then, on January 6th, came the Night of the Big Wind. Over 15,000 trees were apparently uprooted from the Clancarty estate. A further 20,000 were lost on the estate of the Charlevilles. In Carlow, Oak Park and Browne's Hill experienced similar losses and one assumes the Lisnavagh estate was similarly hammered. And at Moydrum Castle in County Westmeath, Lady Elizabeth McClintock's brother-in-law, 78-year-old William Handcock, 1st Viscount Castlemaine [husband of Lady Florinda Trench (daughter of William Power Keating Trench, 1st Earl of Clancarty and Anne Gardiner, Countess of Clancarty] was killed when the storm blew his bedroom window open with such force that he was flung onto his back and ‘expired instantly’. Ireland was devastated although only about 400 died. Norman tower houses and old churches collapsed. Factories and barracks were destroyed. Fires erupted in the streets of Castlebar, Athlone and Dublin. The wind blew all the water out of the canal at Tuam. It knocked a steeple off Carlow Cathedral and a tower off Carlow Castle. It stripped the earth alongside the River Boyne, exposing the bones of soldiers killed in the famous battle 150 years earlier. Roads and railway tracks in every parish became impassable. All along the Grand Canal, trees were pulled up by the roots and hurled across the water to the opposite bank. Perhaps this was the moment when families like the Clancartys began to harden in their religious beliefs. Certainly many who witnessed the carnage of that dreadful night were inclined to think the Day of Judgment was close at hand. The annals noted that Dublin was "visited by a hurricane
of unprecedented ferocity'.
1839 Events
· Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist.
.
William's half-brother Stanley McClintock marries Gertrude La Touche.
· In the summer, Robert FitzRoy published the third volume of his
account of the Beagle voyage. In fact, this volume 'Journals and Remarks,
1832 - 1836' was the first version of Darwin's account of the voyage.
A few weeks later, in August, the same text was published with a different
title, 'Journal of researches into the geology and natural history of
the various countries visited by HMS Beagle'.
. Lady Flora Hastings died on July 5th 1839, after which Victoria's popularity plummeted and the newspapers became obsessed with Victorian gossip.
The Paget - McClintock Marriage
On 24 January 1840, Charles Paget was married secondly to Leopold McClintock's sister, Emily Caroline McClintock, first cousin of William and daughter of Henry McClintock.
Sheriff John McClintock
William's brother John McClintock Junior served as High Sheriff for Co. Louth during 1840.
Death of Nicholas Vigors
On 26th October 1840, Nicholas Vigors of Old Leighlin, the 53-year-old Whig MP for Carlow died. Just how dangerous was it to be an MP for Carlow in those early Victorian days?! He had co-founded the London Zoological Society alongside Sir Stamford Raffles. At a meeting chaired by Tyrell, the Hon. Frederick Ponsonby, a Whig, was chosen to contest the vacant seat. After a spirited contest, Colonel Bruen won the seat in the by-election of 30th November, which meant Carlow now had a Whig (Yates) and a Tory (Bruen) in Westminster. (45)
Footnotes
(45) "The Rev. Thomas Tyrell: A Priest in Politics", PJ
Kavanagh, Carloviana, date unknown. Also "Gems of History", Una
Doyle, Carloviana.
Death of William McClintock
On 30 November 1840, William's 63-year-old uncle William Foster McClintock died. Born on 18th October 1777, he was the third son of Bumper Jack McClintock and younger brother to John McClintock of Drumcar. In 1803 he married Mary, daughter of Major General Helden, with whom he had issue. See Burke's LG.
1840 Events
· Messrs. Pim and Doyle establish an extensive flourmill in Tullow
which ground an estimated 10,0000 barrels of wheat annually. There were
also two breweries in the town, belonging to Messrs. Carter and Roche.
· 58 municipal corporations dissolved and the administration of boroughs
merged with those of the counties.
· Queen Victoria marries Prince Albert.
· Penny Post introduced by Sir Rowland Hill.
July 1841 General Election - Bunbury & Bruen vs. O'Connell & Yates
On 17th July 1841, Disraeli wrote to his wife Sarah from London with the ‘good accts [have] just arrived from Dublin and Carlow – the first safe, as it is polled out – and Bruen and Bunbury at the end of the 3rd day 34 ahead’. (Benjamin Disraeli Letters, John Alexander Wilson Gunn, Melvin George Wiebe, No. 1173). Sure enough, in the election of 1841, Colonel Henry Bruen and Thomas Bunbury were returned
to parliament for County Carlow, despite a brief challenge to the election result. Daniel
O'Connell (based in Florence and on the verge of becoming Lord Mayor of Dublin) had convinced his son John O'Connell to
stand with Yates for the Whigs against Colonel Bruen and Thomas Bunbury
of the Tory Party. The Whig campaign commenced in June with the arrival
in Carlow of O'Connell Junior, alongside Tom Steele, Arthur Ffrench
(later Secretary to the Reform and Precursor Club) and Thomas Reynolds
(later Marshal of the City of Dublin). Initial enthusiasm amongst Carlow's
general populace soon waned. At this time, landlord intimidation was fair
game in the bid for votes - coercion by eviction threats and such like.
The high-profile Repealers adopted and indeed greatly improved upon the
methods of the most bigoted Tories so that every Catholic was torn between
"the Devil and the deep blue sea".
At this stage it is well to consider the extent of power wielded by the
miscellaneous candidates.
Colonel Bruen of Oak Park, the largest landowner in the Carlow county, had
holdings exceeding 16,477 acres.
Thomas Bunbury's Lisnavagh estate was a comparatively small 4960 acres
but it seems likely that the Colonel and Bunbury could have relied on the
next two major landowners after Bruen - Lord Bessborough (10,578
acres) and Lord Courtown (7,395 acres). Either of these might have
supported the candidacy of either Bunbury or Bruen and would have directed
his tenants accordingly.
On the other hand, Yates does not seem to have owned a single acre of County
Carlow and O'Connell wasn't even from the county.
The threat of tenants voting for landlords was too much for O'Connell's
supporters. There were many reports of undecided Catholic free-holders being
attacked by the Repealers, of men dragged from Mass and beaten up, of abduction
and indoctrination. In one instance, 120 voters were captured, tied
on carts, covered in straw and thrown on to a barge bound for Kilkenny,
a major stronghold for the Repealers at a time when Carlow loyalties were
still tied to the old house of Kavanagh. The police looked aside as these
unfortunates were then locked away in an old Brewery until after the election
had finished. Again, Zimbabwe springs to mind although this time the perpetrators
were the Repealers themselves. On election day, the 12th July, John O'Connell
organized a mass march of some 50,000 pike-waving Kilkenny supporters on
Carlow Town. Both The Kilkenny Moderator and The Carlow Sentinel
alleged that the purpose of this march was to intimidate and coerce potential
Tory voters, ransack Oak Park and burn and loot Carlow. I presume Lisnavagh
would have been next on the agenda. An O'Connellite billboard poster of
the day read:
Do they know what Bruen and his party call the people of Ireland? They call
the Catholic people "SAVAGES". They call the venerable and anointed
Catholic priesthood "SURPLICED RUFFIANS" and "DEMON PRIESTHOOD".
They call the Catholic religion "AN ABJECT SUPERSTITION" and "VILE
IDOLATRY". (46)
Daniel O'Connell arrived in Carlow at this time and, either losing his nerve or fearing that the mob was out of hand, warned the authorities in Carlow that he could no longer be responsible for the safety of the town. He and Tom Steele joined police in disarming the pikemen from 6am onwards. Colonel Jackson meanwhile organized the troops while the Constabulary, under Sub-Inspectors Judge, Seymour and Morton and County Inspector A. Roice took possession of the Court. The 6th Dragoon Guards and half a troop of Artillery were summoned forth with a 12 Pounder while the 12th Lancers (under Lieutenant Bernard ) (47) and 10th Hussars (under Sir James Beard and Lord George Beauclerk) lined the main street and blocked off the Court House. This imposing force, commanded by Colonel Jackson, aided by the High Sheriff, HH Cooper. The magistrates on duty at this time were Horace Rochfort, Hugh Faulkner, James Butler, William Duckett, Pilsworth Whelan, Clement Wolseley and Samuel Elliot. A few warning shots were fired but as the evening came, so the mob retired slowly and sullenly from the town "which would, in all probability, have been sacked but for the vigilance of the public authorities". The High Sheriff himself was actually on duty for 14 hours without rest.
The story goes that O'Connell's brother-in-law Finn was so confident of
victory that he built a Ballroom at his home, Evergreen Lodge, in Cox's
Lane, where the Repealers hoped to celebrate victory. (But it was Bruen
and Bunbury's supporters who had the last dance).
Voting continued as normal with neither party showing a convincing lead.
At 3 o'clock Bruen and Bunbury were 226 against 213 for Yates and O'Connell.
By 6 o'clock their slender 13 majority had increased to 30 but by 8 o'clock on the Wednesday had dwindled again to 8. On Saturday at 2 o'clock the Court and Hustings were crowded to excess - it was the largest Conservative assembly witnessed in the county. There were three cheers for the Military, Police and Artillery, each officer being named in succession after Colonel Jackson. Mr. Joy, the Assessor, came forward and was loudly cheered. He declared the State of the poll as follows:
Colonel Bruen - 705. Mr. Yates - 697.
Mr. Bunbury - 704. Mr. O'Connell - 696.
"The High Sheriff, amid the most deafening cheers, declared Colonel
Bruen and Thomas Bunbury, Esq, duly elected". It was another short-head
victory for the die-hard Ascendancy, even though some of Colonel Bruen's
own tenants risked eviction to vote against him but then again if the Catholic
freeholders were caught voting Conservative they would be persecuted and
pilloried.
There seems to have been a collection to finance Bruen's defence of the
election petition but, when he received a petition for the erection of a
new church and the petitioners had only £2,000 in hand, he agreed
to cover the rest of the cost from the funds raised for his case - presumably
the money not having been needed after all.
Footnotes
(46) Quoted in "O'Connell and Terror in Carlow", R.P. Murphy,
Carloviana (1988 - 1989).
(47) A possible relation of the Bunburys as a daughter of Benjamin of Killerig
named Deborah married a Bernard of Burren Street, Co. Carlow. Is this also
where George Bernard Shaw's Carlow connections come into play?
The old front avenue to Lisnavagh,
up which Captain Bunbury would
have driven his carriage in the 1850s..
The Wandesforde Marriage of 1841
On the fine, snow-speckled morning of Tuesday 16th November 1841, William's youngest half-sister Emily McClintock (aka Emily Selina Frances McClintock) was married in Castle Bellingham Church to Mr John Wandersforde, D.L., the Castlecomer coal mining magnate from Co. Kilkenny. He was the eldest son of the Hon. Charles Wandesforde, MP and brother to the 2nd Marquess of Ormonde. The Rev Robert McClintock performed the ceremony which was packed to the rafters and followed by 'a grand dejune' for 44 guests at Drumcar. The 44 included the Wandesfordes, the Marquis of Ormonde and senior members of the Balfour, Fortescue, Le Blanc, Lefroy, Trench, Maxwell, Tighe, Woolsey and Longfield family. William and his brother John also attended, as did Stanely and George. Henry McClintock records all their names in detail as well as the fact 'there was plenty of champagne and claret at the dejune ... at quarter past two, the bride and bridegroom set out in his chaise with four horses for Dublin - they are to stop at Tommy's Hotel in Sackville St & go on tomorrow or next day to Newtown, not far from Castle Comer, where Mr Prior lives'. Henry returned home later and 'took tea & eggs &c", presumably to sober up a little. John Wandesforde passed away on 26 June 1856. There were no children.
One presumes talk was still relatively fresh of a scandal from two years earlier which was published in the Leinster Independent under the heading 'A YOUNG GENTLEMAN SHOT BY A GAMEKEEPER'. The article, which Jack Langton alerted me to, was also published in the Hobart Town Courier (Friday, 22 February 1839, page 4) and reads as follows: 'We are informed that a fine young gentleman, Mr. O'Reilly, son to Dr. O'Reilly, formerly of Carlow, was shot on Wednesday, near Castlecomer, by the gamekeeper of the Hon. C.B. Wandesforde. According to the report, Mr. O'Reilly, who carried a fowling piece, had fired at a crow on a tree, when the gamekeeper came up to demand the gun, which Mr. O'Reilly refused to give him, whereupon the gamekeeper instantly shot him dead. The gamekeeper has been apprehended, and committed to Kilkenny jail.'
1841 Events
· Carlow had one of the highest percentages of literacy in the country in 1841, with only Dublin and Wicklow having higher percentages in the southern counties (Down and Antrim were the highest, both above 40% - they also had the lowest percentage of 'low class housing'. See Famine Statistics.
In September, Daniel O'Connell was elected Lord Mayor of
Dublin, the first catholic to have held the office since the reign of James
II.
· Ireland's population stands at 8 million of whom 53% are unable
to read or write.
· At the outbreak of the First Opium War, the Bunbury's cousin Sir Hugh Gough is
sent from Madras to assume command of the troops for the attack on Canton
(26th-27th May), for which he was made a GCB. On 16th June, Sir Hugh was appointed presidency Commander-in-Chief
to British India. In July, in a combined operation with Admiral Sir William
Parker, Gough succeeded in capturing the great fortified city of Ching-keang-foo.
· First issue of Punch.
· First Thomas Cook tourist excursion in England.
The Church at Tynan where William
McClintock Bunbury married Pauline
Stronge in the autumn of 1842.
The Marriage to Pauline Stronge
On 29th September 1842 Thomas Bunbury of Lisnavagh, then in Paris, wrote to his nephew, William, at Tynan Abbey, congratulating him on his engagement to Pauline Stronge and regretting that he would not be able to attend the marriage owing to my "arrangements here". He offered a gift of £5000 as a wedding present. In the letter he also asks where on earth John (later 1st Baron Rathdonnell) had got to? Pauline was the second daughter of 56 year old Sir James Matthew Stronge, 2nd Bart, of Tynan Abbey, Armagh, by his wife, Isabella, eldest daughter of Nicholas Calvert of Hundson House, MP for Hertfordshire. For more, see Turtle's Potted History of the Stronge Family.
Manor Highgate
William and Pauline were married in Tynan Church by the Primate on a cold dry day, Thursday 3rd November 1842. They seem to have moved to Fermanagh at this point, settling
at 'Manor Highgate', near Crom Castle. Highgate had previously been
home to Christopher Edmund Allen, father of Edmund Allen (a well-known
Dublin barrister) and the Rev. Thomas Meredith (1777-1819) of Dublin.
The latter married Elizabeth Mary (1792-1855), a daughter of Richard Graves,
Dean of Ardagh, Co. Cork, and sister of Ireland's celebrated surgeon, Robert
James Graves (1797-1853) of Merrion Square, Dublin, and later of Cloghan
Castle, Co. Offaly. The Rev. Meredith died mysteriously in 1819 and his
widow married again and went to Canada. However, the Rev. Meredith's 'strikingly
handsome' son, Edmund
Allen Meredith (1817 - 1899) became a Canadian politician and Principal
of McGill University, Montreal.
The entrance gates to Tynan Abbey, above, were remarkably
similar to those at Lisnavagh until the latter were
necessarily modernized in the 1990s.
Tynan Abbey
Tynan was never far away. I visited Tynan with my wife in the spring
of 2007. While it is difficult to forget the murder of Sir Norman Stronge
and his son, the lands around Tynan are rolling, fertile, defiantly optimistic.
A stream runs by the old granite front gates, itself astonishingly similar
to the old front gates at Lisnavagh. Through them one can see the long straight
avenue running towards the house. The village of Tynan is tiny; its old
high cross which Bourke Cochrane had replicated over his gravestone
in New York, is eroding fast but one can still decipher Adam and Eve sniffing
each other out. A boy racer whistles by; a horse, being broken in, rears
its head in a small field behind us. Across the road from the cross is the
church where Captain Bunbury married his Pauline - or was she
too known as Poly? There is a hefty monument to the "STRONGE"
family by the front door and many graves round about, including two I photographed
of Sir Francis Stronge and Alice Stronge. The town
is on the road to Middleton, one of the most bombed border towns in Ireland.
A daughter Kate Isabella McClintock Bunbury was born in December
1843.
The headstones of Sir Francis and Alice Stronge at Tynan.
Paget and McClintock - 5 hrs 10 m a.m
Nicky McClintock owns a set of six volumes of the "Lives of the Admirals" each of which carries the same inscription on the fly-leaf: "From Charlie Paget, late Captain of the old Samarang to his friend and ship-mate Francis Leopold McClintock, May 19th 1842 at 5 hrs 10 m a.m." I have yet to discover the significance of that particular moment.
General Election of 1842
Tom Bunbury and Henry Bruen are returned for Carlow.
Carlow 1842.
Military Barracks, Cavalry and Infantry, Barrack Street, Carlow.
Major Peter Browne, District Barrack Master for Carlow, Athy and
Baltinglass.
Constabulary Barracks, Burrin Street, Carlow.
Inspector Abraham Royse, Sub-Inspector George Browne.
Revenue Police Barracks, Bridewell Lane, Carlow.
Inspector, Lieut. John Reynell Murray.
County Gaol, Bridewell Lane, Carlow.
Governor Robert Mc Dowell.
Excise Office, Royal Arms Hotel, Dublin Street, Carlow.
Supervisor, Mr Edward Philip, Esquire.
Stamp Office, 134 Tullow Street, Carlow.
Sub-Distributor, Mr John Church, Esquire.
Office at Carlow Court House. Dublin Road, Carlow.
County Treasurer, Mr Thomas Whelan, Esquire.
Secretary to the Grand Jury, Mr Robert Browne, Esquire.
Inspector of Weights and Measures, Mr David Campion, Esquire.
Lunatic Asylum, Athy Road, Carlow.
Governor, Mr William Parsons, Esquire.
Matron, Lavinia Parsons.
Barrow Navigation Company, Graigue, Carlow.
Secretary, Mr Peter De La Touche, Esquire.
Comptroller, Mr Henry Cole, Esquire.A Good Season.
(from a note in the Browne-Clayton papers).
Carlow Cricket Club have unbeaten season in 1842 playing 2 home matches and 5 away - at Desart (Kilkenny); Loughcrew (Meath); The Heath (Queens), Avondale (Wicklow) and Phoenix Park.
Carlow Union Workhouse was constructed in the years c1842-1844 on a site on the Kilkenny Road, Carlow. It was designed to accommodate 800 inmates and cost £9,000 to build. It was demolished in the 1960's. Ask About Ireland have a photograph taken by Jim Banbury for the Office of Public Works c.1955.
A cricket match from 1850 as depicted in the Illustrated London News.
The Nation
The Young Ireland Movement is formed to cater for the growth of nationalist politics and arts. The Nation was founded on 15th Oct 1842 by three young barristers, Charles Gavan Duffy, John Blake Dillon and Thomas Davis, all central figures in the group later known as Young Ireland. On its first day of publication the print-run of 12,000 copies was sold out, and within a short time The Nation had a higher print circulation than any other newspaper in Ireland. This image shows part of the editorial from the first issue of the newspaper.
Hugh Gough & the Opium War
In China, William's cousin, Hugh Gough leads a spirited campaign against the Chinese. The Opium War culminates in the Treaty of Nanking, by which Britain gains control of Hong Kong. For his efforts, Gough was created a baronet and received the thanks of both parliament and the East India Company.
Death of Henry McClintock (1843)
William's uncle Henry died on 27th February 1843. That same year, Leopold passed his Lieutenant's examination and joined the Gorgon steamship, under Captain Charles Hotham, in South America. The ship was driven ashore at Montevideo and salvaged, a feat of seamanship on the part of her captain and officers that attracted much attention. On the strong recommendation of his Captain, McClintock received his lieutenancy on 29th July 1845. He spent the next five years serving on the American coasts.
1843 Events
· On 11th August, Sir Hugh Gough is appointed Commander-in-Chief
of British India, in which capacity he defeats rebelling Mahratta army at
Maharajpore (29th Dec) and captures fifty-six guns, though the British again
suffered heavy losses. He again receives the thanks of parliament, although
Governor-General Lord Ellenborough expresses some doubts as to Gough`s fitness
or command in a letter to the Duke of Wellington.
· Bunbury town, Australia, founded by Lieutenant Henry William
St. Pierre Bunbury.
· Sir Charles Burton of Burton Hall marries Georgina May,
daughter of David Haliburton of Dallas, Texas. USA annexed Texas
less than 2 years later.
· O'Connell organises mass rally at Clontarf (October).
· Britain annexes Natal, South Africa.
1844 Events
· CFS Vigors killed aged 33 at the "Moor of Meath"
during the Grand Military Steeplechase of Ireland in April.
· Death of William Fitzwilliam of Burton Hall, aged 50.
· Fishbourne & Purcell begin running specially named,
tastefully decorated caravans from Carlow to Dublin, known as 'Faig a
Ballagh', after Hugh Gough`s former battalion.
· Henry Hardinge replaces Ellenborough as Governor-General in India.
· Turner, Rain, Steam and Speed.
Birth of Isabella Bunbury
William and Pauline have a daughter named Isabella, although I believe this is the poor girl who died in April 1845, rather than the Isabella who grew up to write witty poems ... so I need to double check when she was actually born.
1845 Events
Over 230,000 two-year-olds recorded in Ireland.
More than half a million people in Ireland are classified as "servants".
The average Irishman eating 13 to 14 lb. of potatoes daily.
The only Bunbury listed for County Carlow in Slater's Directory of Ireland
1846 is a cobbler called Robert Bunbury.
The present University College Cork, then known as Queen's University, opened
to students.
USA annexes Texas.
Orange Order revives again.
21st day of January 1845. John Conran left his Horse yoked under his Car at Coal Market Carlow and
left him untied. Said Horse is vicious and headstrong and unsafe to be left
without Control, said Horse ran violently against a Window in the House of Gabriel Thorpe in John Street Carlow and knocked down Mrs Mary Thorpe by
which Mrs Mary Thorpe has sustained serious bodily harm, her Arm being
broken and she being otherwise seriously injured through the Negligence of
aforesaid John Conran. ( signed) Thomas Thorpe.
Sworn before me Carlow January 21st 1845. C.H. Tuckey. (PPP)
Death of Kate Bunbury and Charles Paget
On 29th April 1845, the Armagh Guardian reported the death on April 21 at Manor Highgate, Co. Fermanagh, of 'Kate Isabella, daughter of Captain W. B. M'Clintock, R.M., aged one year and five months'. (48) A month later, on 26th May 1845, William heard that his friend and former Captain Charles Paget had died aged 38. He had been sick since February but died 'fully in his senses & in peace & hope, with his head on his wife's arm - she bore the blow fimrly at first, Rosa being with her was a great comfort to her, he was buried in Portsmouth in a week after' (H McClintock Diary). In August, there was some consolation with the news from South America that Leopold McClintock had officially received his lieutenancy 'as a reward for his zeal & activity on board the 'Gorgon' when she was aground at Monte Video' (H. McC Diary). Edward Tipping
Footnotes
(48) The Armagh Guardian, April 29, 1845
William Bunbury's cousin Sir Hugh
Gough, from a very early 1850
photograph. In 1843, Gough
became Commander-in-Chief
of the British Army in India.
Outbreak of the Great Famine
The first reports of diseased potatoes in Carlow came in September
1845. The ensuing blight took out most of the potato crop in Ireland, bringing
about the greatest famine in modern Europe. Within five months, between
a third and a half of all crops had been destroyed. The south of County
Carlow was particularly hard hit with some 80% of employees in the Borris
district being unemployed. In Hacketstown and Clonmore, unemployment was
running at about 50% although in Tullow, where the crop had been seriously
blighted, there was apparently no unemployment. In November, Sir Robert
Peel, Britain's Prime Minister, purchased £185,000 (£2 million
today) worth of Indian corn or maize, most of it paid for by the Irish tax-payer.
When it arrived the following February, it fed one million people for one
month, and was sold rather than given out. Henry Bruen and Tom Bunbury were
the sitting MPs for County Carlow when the Great Famine struck.
See also Mick Purcell's excellent article.
Baron Gough & the First Sikh War
With the outbreak of the First Sikh War in early December, William's cousin Sir Hugh Gough assembles an army and moves them forward 150 miles towards the Punjab. Viceroy Harding loyally places himself under Gough`s orders as second-in-command. Gough's army defeats the Sikh "invaders" by dint of sheer hard fighting at Mudki (December 18th) and Ferozshah (December 21st). On February 10th 1846, Sir Hugh Gough wins further victory against Sikhs at Sobraon. Nearly 20,000 Sikhs and sepoys had been killed since outbreak of war two months earlier on December 11th. Gough now negotiated a peace with the Sikh durbar at Lahore whereby all the fertile lands between the Rivers Beas and Sutlej, and strategic mountain areas (including the Kashmir) were surrendered to the British. Gough was duly raised to the peerage as Baron Gough of Ching-keang-foo (China), Maharajpore and the Sutlej (East Indies).
Drumcar Church
The Drumcar mausoleum in January 2009, just weeks before
the Bunbury siblings appraoched it with saws and scythes.
Drumcar Church was built by John McClintock in 1845, two decades before that good God-fearing Victorian stawlwart became the 1st Lord Rathdonnell. He also paid for the construction of a particularly striking mausoleum, inside of which he and his wife were buried, and which my siblings and I set about restoring in March 2009. That same soggy wet Saturday, the centre spread of the Irish Daily Mail consisted of a story I wrote suggesting that Queen Victoria was the illegitimate daughter of an Irishman, Sir John Conroy. While I pulled the ivy from the mausoleum walls, it occurred to me that the 1st Lord might very well appear from the Far Side and give me a good whack on my ass with his cane for my treasonable thoughts. The mausoleum itself was locked at this time and we were unable to get in, although my brother William slipped his camera through a small slip of a window and managed to snap what appeareed to be a broken and desecrated tomb. Had grave robbers been down to see if the Rathdonnells were buried with any jewelery? Didn't people know better than that - Irish Protestants would never be buried with their wealth! It turns out that the tomb might not have been quite so violently desecrated as we thought. A family freind who was familiar with the interior explained that this single slab, now broken, covered over a hole. Wooden steps run from the hole to a lower level inside which are fifteen coffins for McClintocks. (We couldn’t think why the three McClintocks buried just outside the mausoleum didn’t make the grade). The mausoleum was a popular destination for local beer swillers and they may have broken the slab but the coffins are believed to be intact. The steps are quite possibly rotten. Some effort was put into restoring the mausoleum in the 1970s; re-slating the roof which was a very tricky operation what with it being a pointy roof without any real grip potential. Sylvia McClintock also played a role when she requested the church fell a tree that was in danger of falling on the building. Edgar and Charlie Treadwell replied that they were not allowed cut trees without the express permission of the head honchos of the RCB in Armagh. So they craftily reclassified the tree as a bush and down it came!It does seem as though the church is effectively closed now. Irene Bell and the Treadwells are practically its only parishoners and I believe they said the last service was held there in September 2008. There is thus an argument that the church is now a ruin. As such, we may have to be wary of plunderers stealing the memorials from the walls. One memorial seemed to be gone already and that might well have been the 1st Lord Rathdonnell’s memorial. I would propose that the church be gifted to the Saint John of Gods of Drumcar House. They might not thank anyone for it but, on the other hand, perhaps they could conceive a useful purpose for the structure and so justify its ongoing maintenance.
The McClintock's stepmother Lady Elizabeth McClintock was a serious Protestant Evangelical and in 1825 she founded a Protestant elementary school in Drumcar. In fact, I think the whole family were pretty Evangelical in the 1830s and 1840s. Watching Jeremy Paxman’s series on The Victorians , it seems this was something of a last gasp from the Christian world as science began to undermine their beliefs in eternal life and so on. (The word ‘dinosaur’ was born in 1842). And building fancy flamboyant mausoleums was their way of sticking two fingers up at all those who derided the concept of an afterlife. I’m not sure when things changed. Certainly the letters that Billy Bunbury’s sisters sent to their parents after his death in Africa in 1900 continue that religious theme … rest assured that he is now seated at the right hand of God the Father and the Lamb of God sort of stuff. What did Captain Bunbury think of it all? Presumably he was one of the first to read Darwin's thoughts, having met the man back in the 1830s? I also think the Captain's son - Thomas Kane McCB, the 2nd Baron and Billy’s father, was the sort of guy who fully understood the wonder of science and engineering, making sure Lisnavagh was one of the most cutting edge farms of its day with saw-mills and what not. It’s also curious to note that TKMcCB’s grave comprises a large Celtic cross and is just in front of my Grandfather’s rock in Rathvilly.
Death of Tom Bunbury
On 28th May 1846, Thomas Bunbury of Moyle and Lisnavagh, eldest son of William and Catherine Bunbury and sitting MP for Carlow died at his London residence, St. James's Hotel. He was in his 72nd year, had never married and had no children. In accordance with his mother's will, he gave, devised and bequeathed all his estates, freehold, copyhold and leasehold, to trustees therein named upon trust for his 70 year old brother, Kane Bunbury, for life, with two thirds remainder falling to his nephew, William Bunbury McClintock and his heirs, and one third remainder to his other nephew, John McClintock Jr.
The McClintock Bunbury Coat of Arms at Drumcar.
The McClintock Bunbury Surname
Following the news of his uncle's death Captain William B. McClintock (then
living at Manor Highgate, Fermanagh) moved to Lisnavagh where not only did
he succeed to the parliamentary seat of his maternal uncle in Carlow (1st
July), but also, in compliance with his will, he adopted the name and arms
of McClintock Bunbury (1st August). He was granted new arms, crest
and motto on his assuming, by Royal licence, the additional name and arms
of BUNBURY, 'in compliance with the testamentary injunctions of his maternal
uncle, THOMAS BUNBURY, of Lisnevagh and Moyle, co. Carlow, M.P'. The
crest of Bunbury of Moyle family was a gold leopard's face with two
silver swords thrust through it from opposing diagonals. This was now combined
with the McClintock crest of a lion, as found on the Lisnavagh crockery.
Likewise, on the family arms, the three red and blue chess rooks
on the Bunbury arms were now quartered with the silver scallops of the McClintocks.
The family motto was the sobering reminder that 'FIRMUM IN VITA NIHIL'
(Nothing in life is permanent).
In a letter of 1868, Pauline McClintock Bunbury counselled her uncle-in-law,
Colonel Kane Bunbury, when she and William first came to live in Carlow,
'we had a capital, I think, of between 60 and 70,000 pounds'. She
said William had spent between £20 - 30, 000 pounds ('I forget
the exact sum') on the purchase of small properties at the Aldborough
'and those near Tullow and Hacketstown'. However, she assured the
old man, 'the remainder of his capital he spent on this house, gardens,
place, and on our own living, our children, elections & c'. (48b)
Footnote
48 a. Bunbury of Moyle, co. Carlow, Ireland. ARMS: Ermine, a chess
rook between two leopards' faces in bend between two bendlets Sable (black).
CREST:..Two swords saltierwise through the mouth of a leopard's face Or
(gold). MOTTO: FIRMUM IN VITA NIHIL. (Nothing in life is permanent).
McClintock-Bunbury. ARMS: Quaterly, 1st and 4th, Argent (silver),
on a bend Sable (black), three chess rooks of the field (i.e., silver),
for BUNBURY; 2nd and 3rd, per pale Gules (red) and Azure (blue), a chevron
Ermine, between three scallops Argent (silver), for MCCLINTOCK. CREST: 1st
- Two swords in saltire Argent (silver), hilted Or (gold), pierced through
a leopard's face of the last (i.e., gold); 2nd - A lion passant Proper (natural
color).
48 b. Lisnavagh Archives G/J/13: Colonel Kane Bunbury Correspondence.
This portrait is reputedly of William's
uncle, Thomas Bunbury, MP for Carlow.
When Thomas died in 1846, he made William
his heir at Lisnavagh - on condition that he take
on the name and arms of Bunbury as well
as McClintock. Hence, McClintock Bunbury.
The Carlow By-Election
Thomas Bunbury's death had also left Carlow with a vacant seat in Westminster. As was the fashion in the 18th and 19th centuries, his nephew was proposed by General Robert Clayton-Browne and seconded by John Dawson Duckett. William, who had returned from Fermanagh to live at Lisnavagh, now succeeded in the representation in an uncontested election five weeks later on 1st July 1846. He retained the seat until his retirement in 1862 save for a short stint between 19th July 1852 and 25th April 1853 when John Ball (later Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies) secured the seat. As such he was MP during such epochs as the Young Ireland Rebellion, the Crimean War and the Indian Mutiny. His fellow MP from 1847 to 1852 was the notorious financial rogue, John Sadlier.
1846 Events
· John Lefroy marries a daughter of Sir John B. Robinson,
CB. She died in 1859.
· Repeal of Corn laws: Wellington had long advocated to Peel
the importance of the abolition of the Corn Laws. Peel duly abolished the
Corn Laws and so secured Free Trade. Thus Wellington was due some of the
massive emotional outpouring of grief that swept Britain when Peel was subsequently
killed in a horsefall.
. Carlow Races take place at Ballybar in August; the opening of the Great Southern and Western Railway was brought forward in order to accommodate racegoers. Some useful illustrations from the Illustrated London News of 1850 on http://www.igp-web.com/carlow/Horse_racing.jpg
The Famine Continues
In early June 1846, Richard Pennefather of Rathsallagh House, Under-Secretary in Dublin Castle, reported to Charles Trevelyan, Secretary to the Treasury, that aggravated distress existed in some parts of the county. Trevelyan proposed that the typical Irish peasant worked for about five weeks a year "a fortnight planting, a week or ten days digging, 14 days cutting turf" and spending the remaining 47 weeks or so sitting on a ditch, smoking and philosophising. The situation worsened over the autumn and the first relief schemes were set in motion. The wants of the poor were to a large extent catered for by the activities by local Relief Committees organized by the gentry and clergy. Horace Rochfort, the former High Sheriff, set up the Idrone West Committee and supplied his tenants with seed potatoes at his own expense. John James Lecky of Ballykealy established another Relief Committee in Forth where he distributed bread, soup and meal to famine victims. Money poured in from the landed classes and gentry - the Dean of Leighlin subscribed £700; the Misses Vigors gave £35, Father Patrick Kehoe £5, Dr. Haly £3 and Colonel Bruen a whopping £50 (to Rochfort). In Tullow, over £250 was collected. Lord Duncannon, the Lord Lieutenant of the County, sanctioned government grants to obtain two thirds of the amount subscribed for 5 of the 10 Relief Committees set up in the county, namely those of Tullow, Bagenalstown, Kiltennal, Hacketstown and Borris. By the end of June 1846, public work schemes were operational in nearly every barony.
The shape of County Carlow in 1840.
Relief Schemes in Carlow
Relief and employment schemes in Carlow continued to boom under the sponsorship of the landed gentry, including Lord Bessborough (the new Lord Lieutenant), Kavanagh and Lecky. By 6th March 1847, more than 3,000 people were employed in these schemes; the figure was 734,792 for Ireland as a whole. Most of these were employed in public works as opposed to agricultural employment but I guess a fair few found work in the construction of the New House at Lisnavagh. Although there were occasional evictions during the Famine years in Carlow, Thomas P. Neill believes "landlords as a body played a noble part in assisting the poor". They took their place on Relief Committees and 'devoted their time generously'. They were willing to tax themselves almost to the last penny of their income to get these government schemes underway. Neill believes they deserved better thanks from the Government for their efforts; the Government in fact blamed the failure of their own schemes on the landlords. The taxation of each landowner in a barony to raise money for the poor, irrespective of the landlords' private actions, tended to smother the benevolence of good landlords. (49)
Footnote (49): "The Famine in Carlow", Thomas P. Neill, Carloviana (1947). See also "Rathvilly Through the Ages", Carloviana, 1951, p.153.
Captain Bunbury, MP for Carlow (1846-1852)
Stung by the failure of the unnecessarily harsh Irish Coercion Bill, Sir Robert Peel and the Tory party fell from power in the summer of 1846. Lord John Russell and the Whigs filled the vacancy. The Queen was again called forward to dissolve parliament and the Irish electorate once again went to the polls. At teh General Election, Conservatives were returned unopposed in a number of county constituencies. In Co. Carlow, Conservative candidate Col. Henry Bruen expressed pleasure that ‘all sects and parties’ were uniting to ‘rescue the country from its perilous position’, but his only specific reference to the famine was to express general concern about the operation of the new law for the relief of the poor (Carlow Sentinel, 14 August 1847). The other Conservative, Capt. W. B. McC. Bunbury, praised the unity within the county and merely promised to support whatever measures he thought best for the country. Neither mentioned the land question. The Whigs who then took office under Lord John Russell did "less than the Conservatives" and, in 1852, were defeated on the Militia Bill, an attempt to provide for the defence of Great Britain and Ireland in the event of an invasion.
NB: Captain Bunbury's Diary for 1847 can be found here.
In 1952, the decision was taken to knock down some two thirds
of the original mansion at Lisnavagh. Three sets of death
duties in thirty years and a punishing roof tax left little other option.
A New House at Lisnavagh
Perhaps Tom Bunbury's 18th century bachelor pad had become too musty in its old age. Or perhaps Captain Bunbury merely wished to build something that posterity would marvel at. At any rate, in 1846, soon after he succeeded his uncle at Lisnavagh, the Captain 'immediately organised the building of a new house and farmyard complex on the estate. The planning and building programme proceeded at an astonishing pace'. Amongst the letters in the Lisnavagh archives is one dated 19 December 1846 from the Captain's elder brother John McClintock, later Lord Rathdonnell, who would inherit Drumcar. It reads: '... Tighe was busy last night explaining all about your house [Lisnavagh]. He says it will cost £10,000, and that Kane will pay it all. I hope so, as I suppose he will give me an equivalent, otherwise, the savings which he talks about dividing between us by his will will be all moonshine. I think you will have got the oyster and I shall get the shells. I don't think you would conceive that just. He had better hold the balance fairly. What he does for one, either at present or future, he ought to do for the other, as I know you would wish him to do so; but I think you should say so to him. Of course, he can do as he likes with his own; but I am sure he would be sorry to show, and you would be the first to prevent his showing, any partiality for one over the other. Poor Tom said to me: "You know, William will require something more, as he will have to do things at Lisnavagh", alluding to your building, etc; and in consequence gave you two-thirds of the residue, to which I assented, upon which he seemed pleased. This feeling having arisen in my mind, I, as a brother, don't for a moment hesitate to express it. Kane is an easy-going man, and he may not have thought of the effect of his apparent partiality, but it is for you to point out to him, and insist upon his taking, the just and impartial course. ...' In subsequent correspondence, there are references to the existence in 1862 of a bond for £10,000 which the Captain had given to John McClintock (and which was partially offset by McClintock-Bunbury's charges on the Louth estate), presumably as an equivalent for the £10,000 which the Captain had received to build Lisnavagh.
Daniel Robertson, the architect, then residing at Rathwade, Bagenalstown, only learned that he was getting the commission to design the new house in October 1846. Yet everything was ready - the house designed, specifications drawn up, a contractor selected and site excavated - in time to lay the foundation stone for the house the following January. (49A) In a note written at the end of his 1846 diary, the Captain noted that on 23rd January 1847, 'My dearest wife Pauline laid the first stone of the New House in Lisnavagh, fine day. She and I planted an oak tree each'. The first stone of the new house was laid on 23rd January 1847, an event marked by the presentation of a silver ebony-handled trowel by Henry Kingsmill, contractor, to Mrs. McClintock Bunbury. A pair of unicorn doorstops at Lisnavagh are said to be taken from an oak tree planted by Captain and Mrs McClintock Bunbury on the laying of this foundation stone. Kingsmill and the Captain subsequently ended up in Court after Lisnavagh was built. As well as building what would surely become the biggest house in County Carlow, Robertson was commissioned to build new stables, haylofts, farm buildings, a sawmill, a laundry house, a schoolhouse, several outbuildings, new formal gardens and a cut-stone wall around the entirety of the estate. (50) Michael Conry holds that the main house cost £16,000 to build and took 130 men two and a half years.
Footnotes
(49A): Carlow Granite: Years of History Written in Stone, Michael J. Conry,
pp.320 - 336.
(50): Or rather, the estate proper. In the 1860s the 'Lisnavagh Estates'
actually extended some 6 miles north of the house to border General Dennis's
estate at Fort Granite.
This map shows the estate at Lisnavagh circa 1847.
The shape has not changed greatly in 160 years.
Daniel Robertson
The prolific architect Daniel Robertson (d.1849) was a talented designer
of country houses both in the Gothic and Classical Styles. (51) Robertson
was a Londoners of Scots ancestry, frequently confused with William Robertson,
an architect based in Kilkenny. (52) His first recorded executed architectural
commission was the alteration of premises at 49 Pall Mall for the Traveller's
Club in 1821. However, Lawrence Kinney has established that Robertson
started work in Oxford c.1815. Frederick O'Dwyer also suggests Robertson
was in practice in Oxford for ten years before receiving his first major
commission, the University [Clarendon] Press (drawings dated 1825). There
appears to have been a dispute over Robertson's role in the refacing of
the facade of Oxford's All Souls in 1825. (53) Kinney believes these
troubles were at least part of the reason for Robertson's relocation to
Ireland while O'Dwyer notes that in 1829, 'The Crypt''s cryptic comment
that: 'The reason for his departure is no subject for public discussion'.
There is some confusion as to Robertson's whereabouts in England and in Ireland from 1829 onwards. In his petitions for Bankruptcy in the Gazette in 1830, and again in 1843-44, he gives a whole series of addresses in England: Kew and Oxford, Clifton (Bristol), Tenby and Monmouthshire (where his son Clement Robertson (d.1854) was baptized in 1831). He also lists various places along the south coast from Devon to Sussex, as well as a period in Boulogne-sur-Mer. From 1841, he appears to have been based in both Dublin (his earliest known Irish address) and London. If anyone is investigating this, let me know and I will put you in touch with another man who is on the case,
He is said to have practised in Ireland from 1830 until his death in 1849, during which time he became well-known for his design of the famous Italian gardens on the Upper Terrace at Powerscourt (1843). However, before he found fame as a landscaper, Robertson was best known as a designer of country houses. Between 1833-49 Robertson built eight country houses, three of which were classical, and it is thought that he was responsible for re-casings and alterations to another six or so. His designs were in the Tudor style, 'perhaps chosen by Robertson as it was grand enough for the types of houses that his clients wished. His houses or manors were Victorian before they even touched the drawing board as they were expressions of the aspirations of the client'. As H.S. Goodhart Rendel commented, 'for old English Gentlemen and for those whose antiquity and gentility were being sedulously cultivated, manors or granges made more appropriate habitations.' (54) These apparently included his Tudor villas in Co. Carlow of Ballydarton, Fenagh near Bagenalstown (1833 - 1834) and Castletown near Carlow (c. 1835/1836). (55) He also designed Whitfield Court near Waterford for the Christmas family, Glendalough House in Wicklow for the Bartons (1830), Dunleckney Manor outside Bagenalstown for the Newtons (1835 - 1845) and Ballinkeele House in Enniscorthy. (56) He modernised houses such as Bellvue House, Enniscorthy for the Cliffe family and built the forecourt at Kilruddery and a new west wing for Castleboro House after the original burned down in 1840. (57) He also designed the former Courthouse in Bagenalstown (1835), the classical St. Matthia's Church, Wellington Square, Dublin, 1842 (dem. c.1950) and an altarpiece in Ballymurn Church, Co. Wexford (1841). As a landscaper, he excelled at the afore-mentioned Powerscourt, Johnstown Castle in Wexford (58) and the terraces of Carrigglas Manor, Co. Longford. (59)
Footnotes
(51) 'Modelled Muscularity': Daniel Robertson's Tudor Manors', Frederick
O' Dwyer, Irish Arts Review, Vo. 15 (1999)
(52) In his Biographical Dictionary of British Architects 1600 - 1840, Colvin
enters Robertson as being from Kilkenny, as do all other historians; there
was a William Robertson of Kilkenny working at the same time and in the
Tudor style, but both he and Daniel were Londoners of Scots ancestry, and
there is no evidence to support that they were related. H. Colvin, A Biographical
Dictionary of British architects 1600 - 1840, third edition, pages 822 -
23.
(53) Another building attributed to Robertson in Oxford is the west range
of St. Mary's Hall (now St. Mary's Quad, Oriel College), 1826.
(54) Modchick's Thesis on Daniel Robertson.
(55) Mark Bence-Jones, Burkes Guide to Country Houses Volume 1 Ireland
(56) Other buildings which Modchick has tentatively attributed to Robertson
because their 'style seems to betray them to be of Robertson's canon' include:
Ballymacool, Co. Donegal, early to mid nineteenth century, arch. unknown;
Barnane, Co. Tipperary, nineteenth century additions, arch. unknown;
Belleek Manor, Co. Mayo, c. 1825, att. J. B. Keane;
Camlin , Co. Donegal by John B. Keane, c. 1840;
Quivey Lodge, Co. Fermanagh, nineteenth century, arch. unknown.
Lisadell Rectory, Co. Sligo, arch. and date unknown;
Lisnavagh lodge, Co. Carlow, arch. and date unknown.
(57) Jane Cliffe, who married the 1st Lord Carew of Castleboro, lived to
the great age of 103 years and witnessed three different centuries.
(58) Daniel Robertson, who was responsible for some of the building work
on Johnstown Castle, is generally believed to have laid out and planted
much of the grounds in the 1830s. This would have included the digging of
the five-acre lake opposite the castle with Gothic towers rising from its
waters and a terrace lined with statues on the opposite bank. Many fine
trees and shrubs grow in the vicinity of the castle, including two lovely
examples of Cryptomeriajaponica 'Elegans', several very fine redwoods (Sequoia
sempervirens), a huge Rhododendron arboreum and some of the oldest and largest
specimens of Monterey cypress (Cupressus macrocarpa) in Ireland. The variety
of mixed planting around the lake, which includes noble firs, Japanese cedars,
Atlantic blue cedars, copper beeches, golden Lawson cypresses and holm oaks,
provides a very satisfying range of colour through much of the year. In
the area to the west of the castle lake, a woodland garden was created around
the ruined medieval castle of Rathlannon. Here the exotic foliage of a Magnolia
wilsonii from China borders a large, elegant dogwood (Cornus kousa) from
Japan and a Japanese snowball (Viburnum plicatum) with tiered spreading
branches. Nearby lies a two-acre lake dug in the 1860s, while in the area
to the north is a four-acre walled garden built between 1844 and 1851 and
rehabilitated by the Department of Agriculture.
(59) Jeremy Williams comments on Robertson's genius by describing the Carrigglas
scheme as 'gracious to the south, where the main reception rooms overlook
the [formal] gardens and the park beyond; to the east many rare conifers
were planted by Robertson, in one of his pioneering American gardens.' J.
Williams, A Companion guide to Architecture in Ireland 1837 - 1921.
The first brick of the New House at Lisnavagh was laid
on 23rd January 1847. It took 130 men approximately
two and a half years to complete the building. The house
was substantially reduced in 1952 and what is shown here is
principally the servant's quarters where the Bunbury
family - including Turtle, Ally and Jemima - live today.
Carriglass Manor
Carrigglas affords perhaps the most interesting link because, between 1837 and 1844, Robertson designed the gothic revival house at Carriglass for Thomas Lefroy, whose cousin Anne Lefroy was the wife of William's brother John McClintock and later became the first Lady Rathdonnell. Lefroy, a Victorian Renaissance man of Huguenot descent, went on to become Chief Justice of Ireland in 1852 and had been a paramour of Jane Austen in Bath during their youth. The romantic castellated mansion was built in 1837 on the site of an earlier house. It had been the seat of the Lefroy family since 1810 when Tom Lefroy acquired the estate and manor from its bankrupt Newcomen owners, the last Viscount having taken his own life. (60)
Footnotes
(60) The Newcomens had previously employed the architect James Gandon
to build the impressive stable yards and the Dublin Gate.
Lisnavagh House
Robertson communicated with Captain Bunbury, almost on a daily basis, with
the Captain advising him on progress and asking for his advice and direction
on related matters. In March 1847, Robertson wrote that Henry Kingsmill
'had a full complement of 130 men working on the new house'. This workforce
consisted of 35 labourers, 28 stonecutters, 30 masons, 23 stone cleavers,
five brick makers and nine men hired with carts'. That same month, Kingsmill
submitted an estimate of £4,820 to build the 'farm offices at Lisnavagh'
which seems to mean the buildings in the farmyard quadrangle, including
the Stewards House. In a letter dated 24th March 1847, Robertson
advises the Captain 'that a great saving would be made by having the
face of the walls of all the building, except the Stewards House, built
without being hammered face, in regular courses, precisely the same way,
in which the best portions of the road wall are done; I admit the buildings
would not look so neat and well, but the cost may be spared and the work
equally as substantial for use'. He also suggested that the proposed
brick floors could be replaced with locally cut granite flags.
In an informative letter from 30th May 1847, Robertson wrote that 'even
with the broken weather and the delay in getting the slates up from Carlow
to finish covering the Stable Quadrangle… the building of the cellarage
is slowly proceeding but still getting on well … and I have no reason
yet to alter my opinion that it will be a beautiful House as it already
looks beautiful; and this I can honestly say that better work and materials
are not in any House in Ireland … There is a large quantity of cut-stone
ready on the spot, and a still larger quantity in the surrounding districts;
so on the whole I am very well satisfied of the progress and state of the
works'.
The entrance to the walled garden at Lisnavagh.
The Move to Lisnavagh
It is not clear where the Captain was living during the building; perhaps he was at Moyle with his uncle Kane, or was the original Lisnavagh House of 1696 still standing? If it was, did it look like Moyle? This may become apparent as we delve deeper into the archives. At any rate, on 28th June 1849, the Captain notes in his diary that 'a.m. arrival at Lisnavagh with Wife and Children for first time to take up our Residence there'.It was a large rambling Tudor-Revival Gothic house of granite, its chimney turrets soaring into the sky, it's walls lined with arches and colonnades. There were two Porte-Cocheres; 'the perfect Victorian invention which managed to add grandiosity to any façade'. (Modchick) The interior rooms were grand and baronial, a library, a ballroom, a reception room, a dining room, a drawing room - all warmed by grand fireplaces of Kilkenny black marble and Wicklow granite, capable of burning the huge mossy logs dragged in from the surrounding woods. The Strahan Brothers of Dublin were commissioned to create a wonderful Gothic dining room suite and extensive shelving for the library. The shelves were then rapidly filled with the miscellaneous books of the Bunbury and McClintock houses - accounts of the Peninsula Wars, JP's handbooks, Books of Common Prayer and Hymns. (61) A vast cellar was dug 15 feet deep below the ground, with three special chutes down which coal and wood could be poured to stock up for the cold 19th century winters. The household staff kept their eyes on an intricate set of bells in the house, each one hooked up to a different room. The kitchen was stocked with fruits and vegetables from a walled garden made of red bricks and a series of greenhouses, one underground. An orchard of apple trees was planted to its rear. Huge bullocks and thoroughbred mares grazed indifferently in a series of paddocks. The house was reached from the Rathvilly - Tullow road near Ballybit. A Gate Lodge was later constructed with foreboding black oakwood gates through which the carriages, coaches, boxcars, broughams and horsemen would to and fro. From here one would advance through lush meadowlands populated by cattle and sheep and in to the new woodlands being planted on the estate. At a cross roads on the avenue, one would turn right for the Farmyard or straight for the Big House, up an avenue of rotating oak and beech trees, with a second avenue of luminous green limes leading up a small rise to the house itself. There were plans for a conservatory by Richard Turner (1798-1881), the most important iron-founder and glasshouse designer in Ireland. (62)
Footnotes
(61) Robert Strahan & Co. Henry Street, Dublin. The 18th century is
recognised as being the heyday of the Irish furniture industry. Ireland's
furniture making tradition however continued into the 19th and 20th centuries.
During this period some of the most recognised firms were those of Michael
Butler, William Hicks, Michael Jones and Robert Strahan. The latter firm
was founded in 1776. By 1845 they had opened two workshops at Henry St.,
and 5 Leinster Street. Much of the furniture in the library and dining room
at Lisnavagh was made by this company, probably on a straight-forward commission
basis by Captain Bunbury when he was building the house in the 1840s. Robert
Strahan & Co. exhibited at Dublin's great industrial exhibition of 1853.
At the 2002 Irish Antique Dealers Fair in the RDS, the most expensive price
tag was Stg£225,000 for a 12 piece suite of heavily ornate, leather-upholstered,
walnut furniture made for the Viscount Doneraile by Robert Strahan around
1845. In 2001, Mealy's were offering a splendid 19th century Irish Partner's
pedestal writing desk for between £4000 - £6000. In chinoiserie-decorated
green lacquer, it has a tooled leather top above an arrangement of six frieze
drawers raised on two pedestals, each with a cupboard and three drawers,
and carries the trade label of Robert Strahan & Co, Dublin.
(62) Along with architect Decimus Burton, Richard Turner was responsible
for the design and manufacture of the Palm House glasshouses at Kew Gardens
(1844 - 1848) and the Winter Gardens at Regent's Park. Turner's most important
work in Ireland is the Curvilinear Range at the National Botanic Gardens,
Glasnevin. He was also responsible for the Great Exhibition building of
1853 in Dublin as well as the original roof of Broadstone Station (which
later collapsed). He was involved with the first iron roof to cover a railway
terminus in a single span at Lime Street Liverpool. He also submitted an
entry for the design of the Crystal Palace in London but his design was
rejected as being too costly.
The farmyard at Lisnavagh in 2003.
Financing the New House
Lisnavagh House itself cost about £16,000 to build, excluding interior decorating and furniture. The records indicate that the following amount was incurred in building the new house, farmyard offices and stables, including the Stewards House.
Mr. H Kingsmill House £12,600
Farm Offices £3,800
Garden Walls etc £1,000
Total £17,400
Total for Kingsmill £17, 400
Mr. D. Robertson £645
Excavating, installing shores, planting trees £916
Stone cleavers, stonecutters, labourers £1,828
Easton & Amos, hydraulic ram etc £1,695
Miscellaneous, lime, culm, etc £460
Total Cost £22,944
The Captain financed the initial building programme with £20,000,
which he received from his uncle, Colonel Kane Bunbury of Moyle.
Up to the time that the house was completed, the Captain and his family
also lived at Moyle. Perhaps Colonel Kane took William aside and said something along the lines of: 'It was my father's dream to build a new house at Lisnavagh. He had the plans drawn up and was ready to start when he was killed. It was Kane money that was to build his house. I now have the Kane money. And I would like to use it to help fulfill my father's dream'.
The Stewards House
The two-storey Stewards House at Lisnavagh (known today as the Farm House)
with its annexe into the farmyard at Lisnavagh was completed in 1848. It
was built with semi-dressed coursed rubble and finely-dressed stonework
around doors and windows but the quality of the stonework on the garden
front and gable facing the main entrance was much better than on the rear
of the house facing the farmyard. However, the large bow-fronted window
is a feature on that side of the dwelling. The stone for the house was cut
and dressed when the houses in the quadrangle was being built by the same
teams of stonecutters, namely those of Mark Egan and William Doran.
A third and fourth team, headed by Pat Byrne and Pat Connolly
respectively were also in operation.
The sun setting at Lisnavagh, just as it would have done in 1847.
Lisnavagh Landscape
I am, of course, tremendously biased, but sometimes I look at Lisnavagh as it is today and its beauty overwhelms me. The house seems neither solid nor dour, but rather exotic and wild, an eruption of sparkling granite walls, chimney turrets and slated valleys. In the spring, the land blossoms with snowdrops, daffodils, primroses and bluebells. Mushrooms rise from the terraces of Pegasus Paddock, while the cattle rummage idly through the grasses of the Pigeon Park where old Tom Bunbury's house once stood. Robertson wanted colour. That's why he planted the rhododendrons around the back of the house. He also planted stately Wellingtonia, Spanish Chestnuts, an entire Yew Walk and other exotics in a pleasure ground that ran parallel to the back avenue, which led to the Tradesman's Entrance. Now enclosed by black railings, Pegasus Paddock was once a right of way, a pathway that still connects the Old House to the Farm Walk. Further afield, the Church Path to Rathvilly is now overgrown but this is the way the Captain and his family must have sometimes made their way to church on sunny mornings. What of Troy's Wood and the Brick Pond Field with its strange granite ducts. The Broom Park - perhaps the Brougham Park around which Colonel Kane Bunbury galloped in his brougham? Or the Lodge Field with the tumble down Green Lane Cottage where a man I knew called Bob Murphy grew up with his seventeen siblings. Was there a sweet romantic tale behind Walter's Paddock and the Sally Field?! Kinsellagh's Hill, perhaps leased to a tenant of the Hy Kinsella clan? How long was the Keeper's Cottage called thus? Robertson may also have built the agents house at Germaines and the twin houses of Williamstown. (63) Were these named for the Captain? Or perhaps for a King William?
(63) The agent's house was purchased by a Huguenot descendent called Germaine in the 1870s. The house was reconstructed and enlarged in 1901. This information appears to have come from Mr. Parker the Sawmill Man who came to Lisnavagh from Drumcar in 1914. My notes say he told of Germaines history in 1963.
Death of Daniel Robertson
The architect had been unwell for some time before he died at Lisnavagh. As early as 1835, he wrote to Henry Faulkner of Castletown Co. Carlow (a letter now in the Irish Architectural Archive): 'I have not been able to write until today - I have had the most violent and long attack of rheumatic gout that any poor devil need suffer under.' The 7th Viscount Powerscourt's memorable description of him expounds on this theme: '[Robertson] was always in debt, and the Sheriff's officers were after him. Warning being given of their approach to arrest him, he used to hide in the domes on the roof of the house. He was much given to drink and was never able to design or draw so well as when his brain was excited by sherry. He suffered from gout and had to be wheeled out on the terrace in a wheelbarrow with a bottle of sherry, and as long as that lasted he was able to design and direct his workmen'.
New Dawn for Architecture
Lisnavagh was built at a time when there was a tremendous boom in construction work in the cities and the suburbs. Many of Dublin's finer town houses date from this era, as do blah and blah. Assisting in this development was a series of Government Acts aimed at the housing situation. The Metropolitan Building Act of 1845 and the Public Health Act of 1848 led to more control over standards of buildings, with specific regulations now laid down for street plans, drainage, sanitation, the minimum width between buildings, the amount of natural light and ventilation required, the inclusion of damp-proof courses ... all sorts of structural improvements and practical musts that would be further enhanced with subsequent Housing Acts but then went so hugely downhill that only buildings of the nouvelle catholique style were permitted.
London in 1847
What an enigmatic fellow Charles Dickens was - the prototype of
the soap opera writer, he released his bestsellers to the public in instalments,
chapter by chapter, so that each week more and more people would queue up
eager to consume the latest adventures of the orphan boy Oliver Twist
or of the teacher Nicholas Nickleby. Dickens himself would read
these chapters aloud to selected audiences who, as Thackeray put it, would
be weeping into their pocket handkerchiefs as his heroines surely and inevitably
died. (The documentary attributed this trait of his to his wife's younger
sister, with whom he was much enamoured, who died tragically young). The
documentary also revealed some curious statistics about life in London at
this time. In 1847 there would have been about 80,000 prostitutes in London,
8000 of whom died of disease every year. There were also 3,000 cases of syphilis
in children every year. (Dickens first went to America in 1848). In 1839,
half the funerals held in London were of children under the age of 10. Dickens
world was replete with orphanages, work houses, penal homes and child labourers.
He went out of his way to heighten public awareness of this - Oliver
Twist was the first novel in the English language to feature a child
as the main protagonist. The audience loved it.
The Gothic Revival movement was also underway, much influenced by Augustus
Welby Pugin (1812 - 1852) and his pioneering design for the new Houses
of Parliament in London. The first phase, the House of Lords, opened in
1847. Pugin believed Renaissance art forms with their romantic symbols of
heathen mythology had caused a revival in paganism. He felt it was time
to return the spiritually uplifting qualities associated with the Christian
architecture of medieval times. Pugin's era also stressed the purity of
individual craftsmanship and condemned the sterility of mass production,
as noted by John Rushkin in "The Stones of Venice" (1851
- 53).
Soup Kitchens & Work Houses
In March the British government stopped the relief work which had employed almost three quarters of a million on work which (to quote Cormac O'Grada in The Great Irish Famine) "made little sense in terms either of economy or their goal of staving off famine". Instead they began opening up soup kitchens, financed by the local rate-payer, distributing cheap and not very nutritious soup and gruel. People brought their pot or bowl along and had to queue for hours, often overnight, which must have worked wonders for their pride. Still, by July, the soup kitchens were at least providing 3 million people a day with some sort of nourishment. In October 1847 the workhouse master in Carlow reported that all neighbouring graveyards were so overcrowded, he had been refused permission to bury the work-house dead in them. He had nevertheless been removing bodies from the workhouse in the dead of night and burying in stealth. The Guardians were however, not prepared to condone this practice, and decided that the dead should be buried within the workhouse grounds, in pits, which would contain, three or four tiers of coffins.
RATHVILLY MARRIAGES OF 1847
(Transcribed by Cara Links)
Groom:- William Pigott
Bride:- Elizabeth Browne
Grooms Father:- John Piggot
Brides Father John Browne
Date of Marriage 18/9/1847
PARISH:-Rathvilly
Groom:- Samuel Cooke
Bride:- Hannah Jackson
Grooms Father:- William Cooke
Brides Father Thomas Jackson
Date of Marriage 18/11/1847
PARISH:-Rathvilly
Groom:- Laurence Kealey
Bride:- Eliza Dunne
Grooms Father:- John Kealey
Brides Father Hugh Dunne
Date of Marriage 1/11/1847
PARISH:-Rathvilly
22nd Jan. 1847 - Birth of Sussana Kepple, daughter of John and Jane Kepple, Tobinstown, Carlow.
1847 Events
· Daniel O'Connell, The Great Liberator, dies in Genoa.
· Death of Henrietta, Lady Clancarty, sister-in-law to Lady Elizabeth
McClintock (Dec 30th).
· Hong Kong becomes British.
· Mormons advance to Salt Lake City.
· Birth of Jesse James, Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Eddison.
.
Rev & Cassandra Hand move to Bishopscourt, Clones, Co Monaghan.
.
Establishment of Jacob's Creek, Carlsberg, Cartier Diamonds.
·Thackeray, Vanity Fair.
. Karl Marx, The Comminist Manifesto.
.
Emily Bronte, Wuthering Heights.
· Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre. The book is published with
a dedication to Thackeray leaving many to suppose, incorrectly, that the
author was a governess in his household and that Mr. Rochester and his mad
wife are doubles for Thackeray and his.
.
Henry Ford's family emigrate to America.
John Henry Foley working at Westminster; mother dies.
. Jeanie Johnson built in Canada.
Lola Montez on ramapge in Bavaria.
. USA at war with Mexico with John Riley's San Patricio Battalion to the fore.
.
38,000 Irish arrive in Toronto and double the population.
· Edinburgh physician James Simpson publishes his discovery of chloroform
as an aesthetic, revolutionizing the procedure of childbirth.
· Michigan became the first English Speaking territory in the world
to abolish the death penalty.
· Seven years after the appearance of the penny black in Britain,
Mauritius became the first British colony to issue its own postage stamps,
the Red and Blue Pennies.
A rare and remarkable photograph
of Sir John Franklin whose disappearance
in the Arctic in 1846 prompted young
Francis Leopold McClintock to go in pursuit.
Leopold McClintock & the Search for Franklin
Leopold McClintock returned from South America in 1847 and enrolled at the Royal Naval College in Portsmouth. Determined to acquire a thorough knowledge of every branch of his profession, he studied hard to master the various details of nautical science, especially steam navigation which was then in it's infancy. After his year at Portsmouth the young Lieutenant went to sea again, but this time in a region far removed from the sunny waters of the Pacific. For years there had been efforts to find a North West Passage through the Polar Seas, the latest expedition being led by Sir John Franklin. Public anxiety, however, was growing and it was decided to send another expedition to try and find out the fate of Franklin's ships, and so in 1848 Sir James Ross set out on a rescue voyage, with McClintock as one of his officers. The voyage lasted well into 1849 and proved fruitless, as did McClintock's second trip under Captain (later Admiral) Austin in 1850-'51. The voyage is one of many tales recounted in David Murphy's book, 'The Arctic Fox: Francis Leopold McClintock, Discoverer of the Fate of Franklin', (Collins Press, 2004).
The Royal Dublin Society
On 24th February 1848, Captain William Bunbury McClintock Bunbury, RN, MP, 'of Baltinglass', is the first Bunbury to be recorded as an RDS member when elected life member. His son goes on to become President of the RDS.
Birth of Thomas Kane McClintock Bunbury
At the close of November 1848, the Anglo-Celt noted that on November 29th, 'the lady of Captain M'Clintock Bunbury, R.N., M.P.' had been delivered of 'a son'. (64) The baby was Thomas Kane, the firstborn son of the Captain and Pauline Stronge.
Footnote (64): The same issue of the Anglo-Celt noted the birth of a daughter on November 23, at Carnarvon, North Wales, the lady of Walter HUSSEY DE BURGH, Esq., of Donore House, County of Kildare.
General Hugh Gough, Commander-in-Chief
of the British Army in India was the son
of Letitia Bunbury, great-aunt of
William McClintock Bunbury.
Gough & the Second Sikh War
Thomas Kane's birth came just one week after his cousin Hugh Gough's victory over the Sikhs at Ramnuggar on November 22nd. His mission was effectively to crush the Sikh independence movement, paint the entire Punjab red and thus consolidate Britain's commercial and political dominance in India. However, two months later, at the battle of Chillianawallah on 13th January 1849, the Sikhs fought harder than anticipated. Whilst the battle did inflict a mortal blow to Sikh power, the deaths of some 2,357 British Indians aroused a massive press campaign against Sir Hugh Gough and his "Tipperary Tactics" back in London - the severe loss of life was in fact due to the failure of a subordinate officer, "but Gough`s generous nature made him bear the newspaper attacks without a word of self-justification". Sir Charles Napier (who believed himself to be divinity incarnate) was sent out to supersede him but before the change had taken place Gough had re-established his reputation with a crushing defeat of the Sikh armies at Goojerat on 21st February, followed by their unconditional surrender to the pursuing force under General Gilbert. Gough vacated his command on 7th May. Meanwhile, by March 30th, John Company Raj had succeeded in annexing the Punjab - 100,000 miles of India's most fertile soil, destined to become the breadbasket of the British Empire and later the heartland of Pakistan. Governor-General Dalhousie appoints a troika of Charles Mansell and the Lawrence brothers to oversee the pacification. When Sir Hugh Gough returned to England in 1850, his sovereign Queen raised him to the dignity of a viscount as Viscount Gough of Gujarat and Limerick; the East India Company vote him their thanks and award him an annual pension of 2000l; Parliament also awards him a pension of £2000 a year for himself and his next two successors in the viscountcy; and the City of London conferred its freedom upon him. He saw no more active service. The British had by now all but consolidated their grip over the entire Indian sub-continent, and a new era of unification and modernisation thus got underway under Governor-General Dalhousie.
1848 Events
· Leopold McClintock makes expedition to Arctic with Sir James Ross
in search of Sir John Franklin's ships, as second lieutenant of the "Enterprise".
· As Famine Crisis enters third year, the Young Irelanders and William
Smith-O'Brien launch an abortive rising against the British elite.
· Revolutions in France (Louis Napoleon becomes President), Hungary,
Germany and Italy where the King of Naples attacks Pope Pius IX. Britain
sends gunboats to assist Pope demanding "in return" that
he "keep the priests in Ireland quiet".
· Californian Gold Rush begins.
· Marx, Engels, The Communist Manifesto.
21st March 1848.(PPP):
The Information of Robert Hart of Viewmount Parish of Clonmore Barony of Rathvilly in the County of Carlow. Sworn before Bartholomew Warburton and Thomas R. Hardy, Esquire, Two of Her Majesty's Justices of the Peace. Robert Hart being duly sworn on the Holy Evangelists, saith That on Monday the 13th March 1848 I was in George Kelly's field of Ballyduff and I cutting bushes and I saw Catherine Ryan and James Ryan come and unloose a Black and White Goat without Horns from a White Goat and they took it away with them. I saw this Goat on Edward Ryan's land with his daughter some time before this. (signed) Robert Hart.
Edward Ryan of Davis's Hill who being duly Sworn on the Holy Evangelists deposeth that on Monday the 13th March 1848 when I was going into my dinner I saw my two Goats on George Kelly's land at Ballyduff and in about an hour afterwards I missed one of them, A Black and White Goat without Horns she had been Serviced to another White Goat, the Goat Stolen was Valued for about ten shillings. (signed) Edward Ryan. Each Bound to Our Lady the Queen. (signed) Bartholomew Warburton, Thomas R. Hardy.
JOHN MALONE & THE DOUGLAS, WATTER, HALPIN AND RUDDAL CONNECTIONS
In about 1848, Captain McClintock Bunbury appointed a new land agent, or steward, at Lisnavagh. He was John Malone, born 1802, son of Walter Malone, a miller, who farmed the Rathmore Mill on the banks of the River Slaney, some 4km south west of Rathvilly. It is possible that the Malones descended from the Quaker family of that name who lived at Graney Cross, midway between Rathvilly and Castledermot. Walter married John's mother, Ruth Cooper, at St Columba's Tullow in 1788. Ruth was the daughter of Joseph Cooper and Ruth Warren, daughter of Richard Warren of Ballymurphy by his wife Dorothy (nee Kemmit). It is not yet known what John worked at prior to his appointment. John ran the farm for some thirteen years before his death aged 61. He was buried in St Mary’s, Rathvilly, on 24 May 1862.[1] It is possible that he lived in Germaine’s although I think Germaine’s did not come into the family until 1870. So perhaps he lived in the Farm House? When was Germaine's built?
During the 1850s, John had at least four children by his wife Margaret Malone, namely Mabel and Lizzie (born at Tullow and baptized at Rathvilly), John (born at Lisnavagh, Jan 1858) and William (born at Lisnavagh, baptized at Rathvilly). The latter was quite probably named for his father’s employer, William McClintock Bunbury. In 1890 William Malone was married in Rathvilly to Eva Emily Arthur and they lived at Mt Lucas. Between 1894 and 1901, William and Eva Malone had at least three children, baptised at Rathvilly, namely William Arthur, John Alexander 91896-1915) and Margaret Ann.
John’s brother Joseph Malone carried on the mill at Rathmore after the death of their father Walter in 1840. Joseph leased the corn-mill, along with a house, offices and 24 acres and 21 perches of land, from Colonel Kane Bunbury of Rathmore Park. In the Griffith's Valuations of the 1850s, the net annual valuation of the land was £20 and 10 shillings, the buildings were valued at £35 and the total valuation was thus £55 and 10 shillings.[2] Joseph had a second, possibly adjoining, lease of 20 acres from the Rev John B Megennis. Joseph was buried at St. Mary's Church of Ireland in Rathvilly. The four walls of mill buildings still stand, albeit just, together with a centenary memorial stone erected in 1839 by Joseph Malone in tribute to Walter Malone's founding the mill in 1739. The metal skeleton of the mill wheel is also still in situ in the wall above the mill race. Joseph was dead by 1866. His son – possibly Walter Malone who died in 1910 – was married in 1868 to Elizabeth Burgess, aunt of the late Bill Burgess. Originally from Lourm, her family had moved to Tobinstown twenty years earlier, leasing a farm from Captain McClintock Bunbury where Edwin Burgess, son of Bill, farms today. (Elizabeth’s mother was a Piggot of Garristown [sic] and I think it is through the Piggots that the Burgess and Corrigan families of Rathvilly are related). Elizabeth Malone (nee Burgess) died in 1874 aged 28, having written a diary in 1866 which is now in Dick Corrigan’s possession. Her widowed husband married again, a Miss Watters.
Joseph Malone's eldest daughter Mary Malone was married in 1840 to Bartholomew Watters (sometimes Waters), a farmer with over 100 acres at Tinryland at the time of Griffiths valuations. (1) By an exceptionally extraordinary coincidence, Bartholomew and Mary Watters were the parents of Annie Watters who married Dublin docklands engineer George Halpin. Annie and George's daughter Eva was the Eva Halpin who married Lt Alfred Rudall, first cousin of my wife’s great-grandmother.
(1) Bartholomew may have been a son of Henry Watters of Staplestown Lodge, Tinryland, and grandson of Philip Watters of the same address. Henry Watters graduated from Trinity College Dublin in 1810, went on to the King's Inns and Lincoln's Inn and became a barrister in 1816. By 1859, when he would have been pushing 70, Henry was listed as Chairman of Magistrates in Carlow. The report of Henry's death in the Carlow Sentinel 1864 conclusively states that "the deceased left no issue". However, Bartholomew predeceased him by 13 years and it is just possible that it means that Henry left no living issue. As Bill Webster put it, 'The tantalising facts remain that both Watters families would have attended Staplestown Church at the same time and Annie married George Halpin at that church only 4 years after Henry's death'.
In 1848, Joseph’s younger daughter Ruth Malone married William Marlborough Douglas and lived in a house known as Oddfellow's Hall, where William and Hazel Burgess lived until recent times. William and Ruth Douglas had eight children, all baptised in St Mary's, Rathvilly. The Primary Valuation of Tennements for the Parish of Rathvilly indicates that William Douglas was leasing 47 acres from Lisnavagh during the 1850s. According to his descendent Liz Wade, there are three legends about when and why the Douglas family came to be living in Ireland. William Douglas, the first of the line, is said to have left Lanarkshire, Scotland, in about 1745-6 and settled at Clogh, near Baltinglass, Co. Wicklow. Alternative stories suggest the family arrived in Ireland about 1568 and 1649. As such, William lived close to other members of the Douglas family already living in the area. His son, William Douglas (c. 1750-1798) succeeded him, presumably at Clogh. He and his wife (name unknown) had four sons and a daughter. One of these sons was, William Douglas (c. 1777-1855), is said to have taken over the lease for the land at Clogh on his father's death about 1798. There is evidence (somewhere) of an Indenture concerning land at Clogh leased from the Rt. Hon. Edward Stratford, Earl of Aldborough, who died in 1801. William Douglas was married twice - firstly, in 1802, to Mary Colman and secondly, in 1813, to Sarah Valentine. By his second wife Sarah he had at least 10 children. One of these children was William Marlborough Douglas (c. 1820-1865) who farmed the 47 acres at Lisnavagh and married Ruth Malone. It may be noted that a William Douglas of Carlow provided the coffin for Captain Bunbury's funeral in June 1866.
Joseph Malone may also have been father of Fanny Malone who died in 1905.
Footnotes
[1] The Burial Register at St Mary's Rathvilly.
[2] Joseph had other land, both his own and from other lessors. Griffith's Valuations (of about 1852, the same period when John was at Lisnavagh), it is recorded for the mill property:
Occupier: Joseph Malone; Lessor: Kean Bunbury; Description of Tenement: House, Offices, Corn-Mill, and Land. Area: 24 Acres, 0 Roods, 21 Perches. Net Annual Valuation of Land: 20 Pounds, 10 Shillings. Net Annual Valuation of Buildings: 35 Pounds. Total Annual Valuation of Rateable Property: 55 Pounds, 10 Shillings.
For further information on the Douglas family, please contact Kathryn Roundtree or Elizabeth Wade, great-great granddaughters of William and Ruth, via turtle@turtlebunbury.com or for further information on the Malone or Watters family, please contact Bill Webster via turtle@turtlebunbury.com
1849 Events
· On 28th June 1849, the Captain notes in his diary that 'a.m.
arrival at Lisnavagh with Wife and Children for first time to take up our
Residence there'.
· In Ireland, some 36,000 die from cholera - mostly those in the
workhouses and poorhouses. Potato blight reappears. Over one million people
are believed to have died of starvation and disease in the famine years.
· Encumbered Estates Act.
· David Livingstone crosses the Kalahari Desert.
· Mazzini declares Rome a republic.
Henry Lurway the Coachman
This was an age when most people left Ireland. Henry Lurway decided
to reverse the trend and emigrated to Ireland. Among the new arrivals in
Carlow at this time were Henry and Mary Anne Lurway who had married
in Bristol in 1849 and moved to Ireland soon afterwards. Henry's
father, Thomas Lurway was an innkeeper from Bristol. Born in 1820,
Henry was a coachman. He was based at Moyle until 1861 when, following
the death of his wife, he returned to Bristol with his three children -
William born 1851, Francis born 1852 and Marion born in Moyle in 1854. By
1870 he had remarried, found work as a coachman and had an address at 45
Chester Square, London. The McClintocks had a house at 80 Chester Square
which may suggest a link. There are only 8 people in the UK with the name
Lurway today.
Captain Bunbury made a small
fortune investing in the railways
that came to Carlow in the 1860s.
DEATH OF ROBERT PEEL
With so many equestrian deaths in his own family, WMcCB must have felt considerable empathy for the Peel family when, on 29th June 1850, former Prime Minister Robert Peel was thrown from his horse while riding up Constitution Hill in London. The horse stumbled on top of him and he died three days later on July 2 at the age of 62. His Peelite followers, led by Lord Aberdeen and William Gladstone, went on to fuse with the Whigs as the Liberal Party. Peel was formerly based in Dublin Castle, and had served as Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.
The Arrival of the Railways
Captain Bunbury may have made a small fortune from his investment in the railways. The coming of the steam trains made a huge impact on the life of the country gentleman. As the railway networks expanded across the country, be it Britain or Ireland, so access to the capital city, to the various towns and above all to neighbours estates became much more convenient. People could now afford to take some time off from public affairs and visit friends and relatives in the countryside (perhaps for a hunt, a shoot or a party) with a pretty good guarantee that they could be back where they came from in just a few hours. Even a grouse moor in Perthshire was only 16 hours away from Euston Station in London. The flipside for the aristocracy was that it was now much easier for the lower orders to get around. As the British Empire found out to its cost, there's nothing more damaging for a hierarchical society than to enable the lower orders to travel with ease. The wisdom of a wider world prompts people to get ideas above their station, don't ye know. In the beginning the aristocracy and landed gentry were suspicious of the Iron Horse, as the red Injuns would later call it. But gradually they cottoned on to just how much money could be made if they offered up their land to the railway companies. Often they themselves would invest in shares of the railway line; that is what Captain Bunbury did in the 1850s. In due course, the Earls of Dunraven, Fitzwilliam and Waterford would become major investors in the Canadian Railways. (I've traveled them from Montreal to Halifax - what a remarkable feat they are). They made a fortune out of it. (65) It also became socially acceptable to build a train station on your estate at which you would welcome your well to do visitors. Hence both Huston Station and Killarney were built for Queen Victoria. The same man who built Heuston Station was despatched south to design the one in Carlow. The Bagenals built the station at Bagenalstown. In the 1860s, the Prince of Wales endorsed this 'private station; concept when he built Wolferton Station at his new estate of Sandringham. The railway companies quickly noted the aristocracy's liking for transport and began building state of the art luxury trains with special quarters for their dogs and plenty of room for their baggage. After the railways arrived, it's as if all Europe came out to party and the Victorian Age is abundant with paintings of Tommy the Tank Engine style choo choos chugging and honking their way through the countryside as yokels raise their hats in the air and jump for joy.
Footnote (65): Between 1847 and 1858, Lord Fitzwilliam, the Oskar Schindler of Ireland, sent many of his 6000 "banished" tenants from his Coolattin estates directly to work on the railroads in Canada which he had invested in.
A Second Stronge - McClintock Marriage
In April 1850, William's step-brother, G.A.J. McClintock, a Lieutenant Colonel with the Sligo Rifles and formerly a captain with the 52nd Light Infantry, marries Catherine Stronge, a sister of William's wife, Pauline, and youngest daughter of Sir James M. Stronge of Tynan Abbey. They live at Fellows Hall, near Tynan, where he serves as a magistrate for both Tyrone and Armagh.
The
Arctic Fox: Francis Leopold McClintock,
Discoverer of the Fate of Franklin,
by David Murphy
(The Collins Press, 2004)
1850 Events
Leopold McClintock embarks on second search expedition for Franklin as
first lieutenant of the "Assistance". The voyage is one
of many tales recounted in David Murphy's book, 'The
Arctic Fox: Francis Leopold McClintock, Discoverer of the Fate of Franklin',
(Collins Press, 2004).
Death of the Incredible Arthur Kavanagh's brother Tom from TB.
Charles Henry Doyne (youngest son of Robert Doyne of Wells and a descendant
of the ancient Irish Sept of O'Duinn whose chieftains once ruled Laoise)
began constructing St. Austin's Abbey in Tullow. The architects were Sir
Thomas Newenham Deane and Benjamin Woodward. An unusual feature of this
work, to facilitate life for the masons was the numbering of every individual
piece of granite.
The first Mormon mission arrives in Ireland.
On November 29th 1850, William's daughter, Helen McClintock Bunbury, received
a personally engraved copy of Eyre & Spottiswode's Book of Common
Prayer. (66) Exactly five years later her young brother, Thomas Kane
McCB, received his own personally engraved copy.
Footnote
(66) A confirmation present perhaps? How come they were both given books
on November 29th?
50th Anniversary of Jane Bunbury's Death
April 28th 1851 was the 50th anniversary of William's mothers death. His father and Lady Elizabeth still living at Drumcar.
The Spirit of 1851
I wonder did the Captain attend the Great Exhibition held in London in
1851. This massive event, held at the newly built Crystal Palace, was to
have a profound influence on Victorian style. The brain child of Prince
Albert, it aimed to show the world the diversity and excellence of British
design and manufacture, as well as exhibiting the products of other nations.
Tens of thousands of people flocked to visit the show during its run. From
about 1850 onwards, it also became possible to mechanically saw and shape
wood with circular saws. Machine made nails and bolts were also available
for the first time. In the iron factories of England, columns and hand rails
were being mass produced in both wrought iron and cast iron form. (In 1836
a revolutionary new lightweight corrugated cast iron was introduced in England
and had reached the colonies by 1850).
The 1850s and 1860s also saw the birth of a new age of British patriotism
that would become to be known as Imperialism. Sir Walter Scott's Waverley
novels, read by thousands, contributed to this new nationalism.
This was also a time of optimism when people believed in the future. The
British were outstanding colonisers in their ability to dazzle the vanquished
with their stately homes and exotic tastes. Up until the Williamite Wars
it must have been difficult to build a majestic home. One would have always
feared a premature conclusion to it all. Houses were built on the basis
that they'd either fall down quite soon or be burnt and destroyed in a time
of war. That's why all the old houses just have tiny arrow slits for windows.
The advent of peace and prosperity in the 18th century enabled people to
explore new possibilities with their private homes. Windows could now be
added to inspire undreamed of lighting possibilities.
The tallest tree at Lisnavagh is the
Wellingtonia, named for the Duke
who died the year the species was
discovered in California.
Death of Duke of Wellington
1.5 million people rolled up to Wellington's funeral in 1851, proving that memories are short. His tenure as Prime Minister had been an unpopular one. His political career began in 1817 when Lord Liverpool persuaded him to become Master of Ordnance to restore some victorious moral during the recessional times. His greatest achievement as PM was arguably to secure Catholic Emancipation - something he was personally opposed to - with clauses in his favour. He also advocated to Peel the importance of the abolition of the Corn Laws. Peel duly abolished the Corn Laws and so secured Free Trade. Thus Wellington was due some of the massive emotional outpouring of grief that swept Britain when Peel died.
Birth of Jack Bunbury
On 1st September 1851, Pauline gives birth to a second son, christened John William McClintock Bunbury and later known as 'Jack Bunbury'.
1851 Events
· 1851 Index of Townlands lists Rathdonnell as the name of
townlands in Cos. Donegal and Sligo, though not in Co. Carlow.
· The unthinkable happens when Charles Kavanagh is killed in a fire;
his younger brother, the crippled Art Kavanagh, becomes head of the family
and heir to Borris House. Kavanagh family future looking doubtful.
· Effects of Irish Famine calming down but even so 125,148 succumb
to dysentery and a further 192,937 from fever.
· Singer sewing machines appear in USA.
Pegasus Paddock at Lisnavagh.
The Attack on John Regan
On Monday August 9th 1852, The Times of London published the following piece, 'extracted from the Carlow Sentinel of this day, is another illustration of "freedom of election", as it is understood at this side of the Channel:-"On Thursday last, one of the most murderous attacks it was our painful duty to record after a contested election was made on a respectable Roman Catholic, the son of a freeholder of this county, near Lisnevagh, the residence of Captain M'Clintock Bunbury. At an early hour Mr. John Regan, an extensive road contractor, proceeded with two men to raise some gravel from a pit in the neighbourhood. On his arrival at the pit, about 20 men pounced on their victim, whom they designated a 'bloody Bruenite'. He was knocked down, brutally maltreated with stones and shovels, and finally left in a state of insensibility. Intelligence having reached Lisnevagh, Captain Bunbury ordered his carriage, proceeded to the spot where this outrage was committed, and conveyed Mr. Regan to the County Infirmary, where he now lies in a dangerous state under the care of Dr. Rawson. We may judge of the savage character of his assailants, when we inform the reader that Mr. Regan sustained a compound fracture of the arm, had eleven wounds on the head, one of which, it is feared, is accompanied by a fracture, as a splinter from the skull was taken off, and that his body, from head to foot, was covered with bruises, the effects of kicks and blows while lying on the ground. Mr. Regan's father voted for Colonel Bruen and Captain Bunbury; and the son is thus punished because his father exercised the privilege of an elector in a county governed by British law. Here are some of the fruits of those fanatical harangues delivered during the last month, when we were told in the public streets that the contest was one between 'God and the devil'. Five of the parties concerned in this inhuman outrage have been arrested, and committed to the County Gaol for trial at the assizes. Their names are Hugh Carty, John Carty, James Carty (three brothers), James Walsh, and Patrick Bryan. We regret to state that the life of Mr. Regan is in imminent peril".
Further Works at Lisnavagh 1850 - 1855
Work begins on the high granite entrance gate at Ballybit in 1850 with gatekeepers lodge behind wall, the stone being cut and dressed by Patrick Byrne and Thomas Gahan. The School House at the back entrance of Lisnavagh is also built at this time by mason James Nolan and stonecutter Patrick Byrne for a total cost of £206 10s 10d, with a piggery and granite trough to the rear. William and his uncle Kane Bunbury continued to carry out huge land improvements on their lands around Rathvilly at Lisnavagh, Knockboy, Tobinstown etc during the early 1850s. The work includes rock removal, cleaving granite stones, installing drains, sinking drains and building outlets. John Byrne was paid 1s 8d for cleaving stones. Patrick Neill, Edward Fitzgerald, Peter Nolan and Thomas Cody were paid 6d a ton to cleave stones while the masons, John Griffith and James Nolan were paid 2s 6d for building the outlets. Denis Maguire and Patrick Byrne were paid one shilling a day 'for stoning the drains' and laying tiles, respectively. But labourers Michael Doyle, Joseph Hanlon and Thomas Hosey were only paid 6d a day for sodding the drains.
TAKING KINGSMILL TO COURT
However, not everything was running smoothly and, in 1852, the Captain brought an action against Henry Kingsmill (d. 1890), the builder, was for 'imperfect and dishonest' workmanship, much of it to do with the leading of the roof of Lisnavagh. There is a lengthy and detailed bill from Kingsmill to McClintock-Bunbury for £2,563'. As Malcomson noted, 'Kingsmill greatly underestimated McClintock- Bunbury's meticulous methods of business when he decided to pull a fast one on him!' My brother William suggests that a famous way to cheat was to use lead that was thinner than specified. 'For example, Robertson probably specified 7lb lead. Kingsmill may have used, say, 5lb lead – which is a lot cheaper to buy – but charged the Captain for 7lb lead. 5 lb lead is much easier to get hold of, but doesn’t last very long.' We shall ponder this further.
In April 2010, I gave my 'Around the World in 1847' talk to the Bray Cualann Historical Society, commencing as ever with the trowel Henry Kingsmill presented to Mrs Bunbury on January 23rd 1847. Brian White of the BCHS quickly alerted me that Kingsmill lived in a place called Sidmonton, Bray, from 1853-1863. He also had addresses at 95 Lower Mount Street (1835-36) and 97 Lower Mount Street (1839-1863). According to the Dictionary of Irish Architects 1720-1940, he was based on Merrion Street when he appeared on a list of Dublin's master carpenters and builders compiled in March 1834. As well as Lisnavagh, he worked at Trinity College, Dublin, in 1850 and was the builder of Lanyon's famous Campanile in 1852-54. His son Henry T. Kingsmill, born in Co. Wicklow circa 1824, was a student at Trinity between 1840 and 1846. Thomas William Kingsmill, listed as an architect at 97 Lower Mount Street in the classified section of Thom's directories for 1862 and 1863, was perhaps another son.
The Bruen Testimonial Church
On 21st May 1852, Joyce Derick, wife of architect John MacDuff Derick, lays foundation stone for the Bruen Testimonial (Church of Ireland) Church in Carlow. The building was completed in 1858, when The Builder for 28th August reviewed it. One interesting feature was that, 'Attached to the tower is a smaller one of octagon shape, terminated with pyramidal roof and crocketed pinnacle, and containing a winding staircase leading to belfry and to the pulpit, through a doorway formed with solid granite in the massive but deeply splayed and moulded pier of the tower.' Here might be noticed a trace of the eccentricity which was to appear more prominently later. The review also remarked on the polychrome effect of the use of several different local granites and 'window tracery, gargoyles' of Yorkshire stone on the exterior. The fate of the church was unusual. In 1926, the Bruen Testimonial Church was purchased by Very Rev. James Fogarty, parish priest of Graiguecullen, and taken down stone by stone. It was re-erected in his parish as the Catholic Church of St Anne. 'It still lacks its spire, the stone of which [is] awaiting a propitious time for erection. Both at the taking down and the erection of the church, a steeplejack was killed'.
Born in 1902, Bill Burgess was the
second oldest man in Ireland at the time of
his death in July 2007.
His grandfather was the first of the
family to settle at Tobinstown in 1852.
Arrival of the Burgess Family at Tobinstown
Among the new Protestant families to settle in the Lisnavagh area was that of the Burgess family who had 100 acres of land some 20 miles away in Bagenalstown. In 1852, Bill Burgess's grandfather secured a letter of recommendation to come as a tenant. Originally they lived in a stable block built in the 1860s. Why did he move then? Perhaps there was a financial incentive? Or to come to a model farm? Bunburys paid for house and Burgess would have paid it off (c. £400) over the years. Bill recalled how there were turnips in one of the long fields by Keppels. As no agreement had been reached with the landlords, Keppel drew them out with a bull and threw them in the ditch rather than sell them, on so the former owner was free to come and collect them but couldn't claim against value of turnips. A new building was put up when Bill's father succeeded to farm in the 1890s. The Keppels were one of twenty Protestant families from Lower Palatinate on the middle Rhine who settled adjacent to the estate of Benjamin Burton in county Carlow circa 1711. (67)
Footnotes
(67) The Keppels were one of twenty Protestant families from Lower
Palatinate on the middle Rhine who settled adjacent to the estate of
Benjamin Burton in county Carlow circa 1711. Burton had been appointed a
Palatine Commissioner in 1709 and invited the German colonists to Carlow.
A settlement called Palatinestown was established, where according to a
traveler writing in 1780 'the industrious settlers had transformed bogland
into fertile ground'. This area is today known as Palatine. Within a short
period of their arrival (1720 - 25), the families had scattered or emigrated.
The reason for the disappearance of the Palatinates from Co Carlow remains
a mystery but for some reason they abandoned the area. Today only the name
of the present-day village Palatine and the survival of the family surname
Keppel in the county are the only reminders of the Palatinate presence in
Carlow. (Michael Purcell).
griffith's valuations
Griffiths Valuation was compiled between
1848 and 1864. This followed on from the Ordnance Survey, which was completed in 1839. The survey started in Dublin and Waterford in 1848 and then worked up
from Co Kerry & Cork moving northward and finished in Armagh in 1864. County Carlow was surveyed in 1852 and 1853. (Thanks to Dave Fleming). The survey for Sleaty, and likely also Graigue, both across the river from
Carlow Town (but actually in Co. Laois) took place in 1849 and was printed in 1850. The 1852 Survey lists a Michael Brien as one of Captain Bunbury’s tenants, with land in the townland of Mountkelly, parish of Rathvilly. This information came to me from Gene Gribben whose grandfather, Thomas Byrne, was baptized at St. Patrick's Church, Rathvilly, in 1833. Thomas’s parents were Edward Byrne and Judith Brien of Mountkelly so it seems likely this was the same Brien family. Michael Brien could have been the father or older brother of Judith's. The same 1852 survey also lists Bartholomew Watters (Waters) as occupant of over 100 acres at
Tinryland Townland in the Parish of Tullowmagimma. Bartholomew apparently died of black fever on 25th October 1851.
Electoral Defeat 1852
In 1852, Gothic author and aspiring newspaper magnate Sheridan Le Fanu made a bid to become Tory MP for Carlow, presumably in place of Captain Bunbury or Colonel Bruen. Perhaps he was inspired by his engineering brother Bill - William Le Fanu - who had worked so closely on the Carlow railway station with Sir John MacNeill and the Borris viaduct. However, Le Fanu’s political ambitions took a dive when the Tory party ditched him for supporting, with Isaac Butt and Samuel Ferguson, a Young Ireland initiative to highlight the indifference of the Government to the Irish Famine. In the General Election of 19th July , the Captain lost his seat to the Whig candidate John Ball of Butlerstown, Co. Kilkenny, later Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies. Colonel Bruen likewise lost his seat to John Henry Keogh of Kilbride, Tullow. Ball and Bruen were returned with 893 and 891 respectively. In Rathvilly barony the voting was Ball (301); Keogh (297); Bunbury (162) and Bruen (159). As open voting still prevailed, a wrong decision brought the risk of eviction. The townlands of Straboe, Rathdaniel and Ballyhackett were all allegedly "cleared" of tenants who had voted for Ball and Keogh. The Election saw the reins of government pass to the Protectionist party of the Derby - Disraeli administration. This cabinet only lasted a few months before breaking down.
Defeat of John McClintock
The Captain's brother, John McClintock (Tory), later Lord Rathdonnell, was also defeated in his bid for the Conservative Party seat of Co. Louth - despite spending a well above average £3500 on his campaign. Soon after the defeat, an election address was published by 114 persons, describing themselves as the 'Roman Catholic Farmers, Tradesmen and Labourers of John McClintock's estate at Drumcar'. In it they take objection to accusations made against the latter that he was a 'bigot' and 'had an inane hatred of the Catholic religion'. They pointed out that 'he had contributed to the construction of the Catholic church at Dillonstown, that he had never preferred a Protestant to a Catholic tenant and that when some tenants fell into arrears with their rents, he did not, as other landlords had done, evict them'. (67B)
Footnotes (67B): The House on the Ridge of the Weir, Harold O'Sullivan.
Death of Colonel Bruen (1853)
William returned on 25th April 1853 in the by-election that followed Colonel Buren's death on 5th Nov 1852. (68) The Captain, with an address at Sussex Square, Hyde Park, London, is described as "a Conservative in favour of civil and religious liberation". He held the seat for eight years, before going on to accept the Stewardship of the Chiltern Hundreds, and was thus in Westminster during the age of the celebrated Coalition Cabinet which launched Britain into the Crimean War.
Footnote (68): Colonel Bruen supported Catholic Emancipation and was at Harrow with Robert Peel, Lord Byron and Lord Sligo.
Admiral Sir FL McClintock in 1859.
Leopold McClintock in the Arctic
Meanwhile, Leopold McClintock, having been promoted to the rank of Commander, was put in charge of the screw-steamer "Intrepid" and again sailed to the Arctic, this time under the leadership of another old Samarang hand, Sir Edward Belcher, C.B. This was the first expedition to reach Melville Sound. During this expedition, McClintock astounded his brother officers by the length of his sledge journeys. He performed the wonderful feat of travelling 1,400 miles across the ice in just over one hundred days. The polar bear in the Natural History Museum was shot by Captain Leopold McClintock while making his way up Canada's Baffin Bay in 1852. The polar bear shooting is described in McClintock's article F.LO. 1857. Reminiscences of Arctic Ice-Travel in search of Sir John Franklin and his companions. J.R. Dublin Soc., 1: 183-238 The Royal Dublin Society passed its collections into the care of the National Museum in 1877.This expedition met the same fate as the previous ones, and in the autumn of 1854, the four ships were abandoned in the ice as Sir Edward Belcher, his officers and crew sailed home on board the "Phoenix" and the "North Star". In a letter, written to the Admiralty, from Cork, shortly after his arrival there in 1854, Sir Edward wrote in these positive terms about the fate of Franklin. "I feel satisfied that no reasonable being in this expedition, with brain free from the delusions of interested motives, will venture to suggest that our unfortunate countrymen ever passed Beechey Island after the spring of 1846". Despite the Admiral's strongly worded assertion McClintock not only suggested, but also proved that Franklin's expedition did exactly that which the dictatorial officer considered impossible.
Thomas Langlois Lefroy, first cousin of Anne
McClintock (later 1st Lady Rathdonnell), was
reputed to have been Jane Austen's lover in
their teenage years. In 1855, he became Chief
Justice of Ireland.
Chief Justice Lefroy
Anne McClintock's cousin Tom Lefroy became Chief Justice of Ireland in 1852
The Attempted Murder of John Regan (August 1852)
See The Times
Death of Elizabeth Melesina McClintock
On 29th January 1853, William's aunt Elizabeth Melesina McClintock, widow of Henry and mother of Leopold, passed away.
Bunbury v McClintock 1853
Box 106/109 at Lisnavagh contains the Queens Bench judgement from 20th October in a case taken by William B. McClintock Bunbury, MP, against his brother John McClintock, Esq, both of Chester Square, Westminster, for £14,000 damages. Cases such as these were a common method of transferring money and did not necessarily mean malicious prosecution.
1853 Events
· John McClintock's brother-in-law John Lefroy returns to England
after nine years in the Toronto observatory.
· John Alexander of Milford elected for the Carlow borough when he
defeats the sitting MP, the notoriously corrupt banker John Sadlier, by 6 votes, 97-91.
· Levi-Strauss makes "jeans" for miners.
. Thomas Trueman, who was born in Carlow c. 1820, and his wife, Sarah Eliza Douglas, born c. 1822, sail from Liverpool to Australia on the Marco Polo, arriving in May 1853. Sarah was the daughter of Marlborough Douglas and Sarah Rowe, and married Mr Trueman in 1847.
RATHVILLY MARRIAGES 1852 - 1853
(Transcribed by Cara Links)
Groom:- John Nue ( New)
Bride:- Alice Eyles
Grooms Father:- Henry Nue ( New)
Brides Father William Eyles
Date of Marriage 19/8/1852
PARISH:-Rathvilly
Groom:- Jane Atkinson
Bride:- William Poland ( Polard)?
Grooms Father:- Thomas Atkinson
Brides Father William Poland (Pollard?)
Date of Marriage 21/11/1853
PARISH:-Rathvilly
CONSTABLE HILL and the carlow & island hunt
The Lisnavagh Archives contains several beautiful maps from 1853 of Ballykillane (mainly Ballysallagh Lower and Upper, and Constable Hill), lithographed by John Irvine Whitty of 16 Henrietta Street, Dublin. Correspondence in the archives (G7/8) confirms these lands were purchased by the Captain from William Henry Hozier in 1853 for c. £10,000. An instrument of 7 July 1854 suggests the fee farm grant may have been held by Robert Whitestone, Susan Warren and Thomas Wilson. Perhaps a useful addition if the Captain Bunbury was a hunting man for, that same year, the Carlow & Island Hunt was founded when Mr. Bolton of Island, Co. Wexford, gave his pack to Lord Fitzwilliam (who then lent it to the Tullow Hunt). My father recalls Constable Hill as the land of the Pollards and ‘Bo Peep’ who was one of the night shepherdesses at Lisnavagh.
The Carlow Post 17th Dec, 1853
Sudden Death.---
A man named Edward Brennan, nicknamed the "Sticks" whose occupation was that
of a cattle-dealer --
who had the character of being exceedingly penurious --- was found dead in
his bed in his lodgings
in Tullow Street, on Wednesday morning.
Deceased had partaken the night previously of a small allowance of
buttermilk and potatoes for his supper.
Five ten-pound notes were found stitched in his trowsers, and he had £150
exclusive of this sum.
He was in the habit of attending fairs in this and the adjoining counties,
to which he almost invariably walk, notwithstanding lameness under which he suffered. We have heard that he possessed a considerable number of cattle.
The artillery and field warfare expert Sir John
Henry Lefroy was a brother-in-law of John
McClintock, 1st Baron Rathdonnell.
1854 Events
· Viscount Gough becomes a full general and appointed Colonel-in-chief
of the 60th Royal Rifles.
· John Lefroy, John McClintock's brother-in-law compiles and publishes
"The Handbook of Field Artillery for the use of Officers"
and 300 copies sent out to the Crimea - the book collected together for
the first time the practical information required for the rough work of
the camp, and proved of great usage. Lefroy himself is made confidential
advisor in artillery matters to the Duke of Newcastle, the war minister.
· Leopold McClintock commands the "Intrepid" in
the third search expedition for Franklin.
· Catholic University (later to become University College, Dublin)
set up with Dr. John Henry (later Cardinal) Newman as its' first rector.
· Ireland's first rugby club is established at Trinity College Dublin.
· National Gallery established by act of parliament.
· Outbreak of Crimean War - Britain and France against Russia.
Birth of Helen McClintock Bunbury 1854
Pauline McClintock Bunbury has a second daughter, Helen McClintock Bunbury (d. 1870). I need to check this date as who was the Helen given the prayer book in 1850?
Death of John McClintock
On 5th July 1855, the Captain's 85-year-old father John McClintock passed away at Drumcar. Known as Old Turnip, he seems to have been succeeded by both his eldest son, John McClintock Jr (later Baron Rathdonnell) and by his eldest-surviving son by his second marriage, Major Stanley McClintock.
Bunbury v McClintock 1855
Box 106/109 contains the Queens Bench judgement from 9th November 1855 awarding £6000 for damages to Ballysallagh and Constable Hill in Rathvilly in a case taken against William B McClintock Bunbury by his half-brother, the Reverend Robert Le Poer McClintock of Kilsernan, Co. Louth.
1855 Events
· Viscount Gough made Colonel of the Royal Horse Guards, or Blues,
on the death of Lord Raglan.
· On 24th September, John Lefroy is promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel
and sent by Lord Panmure (the new war minister) at two days notice to Constantinople
to investigate the condition of hospital staff in the East, and on the accommodation
of the sick at Scutari. During this mission he met Florence Nightingale,
with whom he subsequently enjoyed a lifelong friendship.
· Death of Francis Beaufort (1774 - 1855), hydrographer to the British
Admiralty from 1829 - 1855.
· The limbless Art Kavanagh marries his cousin, Frances Leathley,
and goes on to sire six children.
· Robert FitzRoy, former Captain of the Beagle, appointed Director
of the Meteorological Office.
It is my belief that this painting at Lisnavagh depicts
Captain Bunbury's daughters, Bella and Helen.
Sadly both girls were to have short lives,
passing away within a few years of their father.
Promotion for Captain William McClintock Bunbury
On 1st April 1856, the Captain appears to have been officially posted to the 'Rank & Seniority on the Retired Lists' as a 'Captain'. He may only have been a 'Captain' by repute prior to this.
Death of John Wandersford
William's brother-in-law, John Wandersford, D.L., of Castlecomer, d.s.p. 26 June, 1856. One wonders did William ever benefit from the Wandesforde's owning of the Castlecomer coal mines and Perambulator Works.
Marriage of Rev. Robert McClintock
In 1856, William's half-brother, the Rev. Robert Le Poer, M.A., Rector of Castle Bellingham, co. Louth, married Maria Susan, only daughter of A. C. Heyland. (69)
Footnote
(69) The Rev. McClintock died without issue on 30th June, 1879. His widow
was married secondly on Feb 1st 1883 to Francis Burton Owen Cole, D.L.,
of Llys Merichion, co. Denbigh {see COLE of Stoke Lyne). We have a small
copy of his portrait at Lisnavagh.
the carlow rifles
In August, 1856, the gentry of the County Carlow gave a great Dinner in the Assembly Rooms to the Officers of the County Carlow who had fought in the Crimean War. The Chair was taken by Captain McClintock Bunbury, M.P., and towards the close of the proceedings he proposed a toast to "The Carlow Rifles and Sir Thomas Butler their Colonel.” In doing so he said—"They have not had the good fortune to be engaged in the Crimea but I am sure from what I have witnessed, if their services had been required, they would have done credit to the County Carlow. I must say I am sorry they have been disbanded." In responding to the toast, Sir Thomas Butler said—"I beg leave to return you my most sincere thanks for the way in which you have spoken to me as Colonel of the Carlow Rifles but I must say that the praise is mostly due to Lt. Col. Keogh and Captain Knipe, the two principal Officers of the Regiment. At my time of life I could not accomplish the task of organising them nor have I been enabled to spend as much of my time with them as I have wished. They have given satisfaction wherever they have gone and they have sent as brave a body of men into the regular army as any country could boast of. I am proud to be their Colonel (cheers). For my part I only desire the ranks to be filled with such men and they will reflect credit on every officer connected with it."(Loud cheering). Lt. Col. Keogh was then unanimously called on to speak. He was a young man of thirty-two years, tall and strikingly handsome. He said—"Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen, I rise as you have been kind enough to call upon me but I thought after the eloquent speech of our Colonel I should have escaped being called on. It is rather dull work speaking of the Militia now. As long as the Queen was pleased to give me 20/- per day it was all very well—as long as I got that I worked hard for the Carlow Rifles but that is now all gone by and I think the Carlow Rifles very stale talk indeed. I did not value myself very highly — only at 20/- a day! The only thing for which I am proud of the Carlow Rifles is that they sent as fine a body of recruits to the line as any Officer might be proud to receive." The Carlow Militia at this period was, of course, a red-coat Regiment and was known, affectionately or otherwise, as the "Old Fogies." The rank and file served 27 days' intensive training every year and new recruits did drill training in addition. The permanent staff remained on duty all the year round and the intention was that the regiment could be mobilised in full force at any time at short notice.
1856 Events
· On 25th June, following the end of the Crimean War, Viscount Gough
is sent on a special mission to Sebastapol to invest Marshal Pelissier and
other officers of rank with the insignia of the Bath. See The Times.
· Death of Philip Bagenal of Benekerry, Co. Carlow in Bologne aged
64 (June 24th).
· Henry Bruen III elected MP for Carlow (retained until 1880).
Suicide of John Sadlier, former MP for Carlow, after implication in banking scandal.
· Dennis Pack-Beresford elected High Sheriff for Carlow.
· Louis Pasteur discovers that germs spread diseases.
· Bessemer process allows for mass production of steel.
General Election of 1857
In 1857, Lord Palmerston's power was broken when Thomas Cobden successfully defeated the governments plans to go to war with China. In the ensuing General Election, Captain McClintock Bunbury (Tory) was returned unopposed for Carlow County. Prior to the election,the Captain made it clear that he wanted to stand down, but was persuaded to offer himself again by the argument that his retirement would almost certainly give rise to a contest against the Conservative interest. John Alexander was returned for the Carlow Borough with a decisive win over Crimean War veteran Arthur Ponsonby, a grandson of the 3rd Earl of Bessborough.
THE REV. PATRICK NOLAN, PARISH PRIEST OF RATHVILLY
The Lisnavagh Archives contains some correspondence from the Rev. P.C. Nolan, parish priest of Rathvilly, and his nephew, Michael Nolan, complaining about the antics of Captain Bunbury's agent during the run up to the election. There is talk of the withdrawal of the liberal candidate, the Hon. Frederick Ponsonby, which needs to be looked at.
The Rev. Patrick Celestine Nolan was born in Ballintrane on 2nd January 1802. Ordained in Maynooth College in 1827, he was first assigned as a curate to the Myshall parish. His second assignment was in Killeigh, King's County (Laois). In around 1850, he was assigned to Rathvilly parish, being appointed parish priest in 1855. He was intrumental in building the new church there. He died on 12th Febrary 1885, with advancing age, having served the Rathvilly community for 35 years.
Father Nolan's brother Maurice Nolan lived at nearby Killane and married their second cousin, Alicia Nolan. Alicia was a grand daughter of Matthew Nolan of Kilconnor and a niece of Laurence Nolan of Kilmeany, Ballinacarrig, the suveyor employed by Benjamin Bunbury earlier in the century. The above-named Michael was their eldest son. His baptism was registered at the Roman Catholic Church in Ballon on 13 February 1839. Michael had two younger brothers – John Nolan (a salesman) and the Rev. Patrick Francis Nolan (a priest) – and a sister, Mary Nolan, who married Patrick Lalor and went to live in Co. Laois. Like his uncle (Father Nolan of Rathvilly, above), the Rev. Patrick Francis Nolan, was known as a church builder, building the Rathoe church which was completed in 1894. According to Fr. Peadar MacSuibhne's book entitled "98 in Carlow" (p. 170), he was also born in Killane. Although the Nolans were still living in Killane when John was born in March 1841, they are not referred to in Griffith's Valuation. However there are several Nolans in Ballintrane where Maurice, the father, may have been born. Anne Buckley and Roger Nowlan, who are researching this family, suggest that as the townlands (and their borders and names) were not set or standardised until Griffith's valuation, Killane in the Ballon register may not be the same as the post Griffith's Valuation, Killane.(Information courtesy of Roger Nowlan and Anne Buckley).
JOHN MCCLINTOCK WINS SEAT FOR COUNTY LOUTH
In County Louth, William's brother, John McClintock Jr, was also returned for the Tory party and serves until 1859.
McClintock finds Franklin
Although every expedition to discover the fate of Sir John Franklin and
his men had failed, Captain McClintock believed that another attempt could
prove successful. He maintained that the previous expeditions had taken
too northerly a course, and he felt certain that a search in the region
of the North Magnetic Pole, as yet untouched, would prove fruitful.
The Admiralty, however, did not share his optimism and they rejected his
request for another attempt saying that "after so may failures there
is no justification to risk the lives of brave men in such a hopeless cause".
Disappointed by the Admiralty rejection, Lady Franklin decided to
finance the expedition herself, and with this in mind, she bought Sir Richard
Sutton's screw yacht "Fox". She offered the command of
the proposed expedition to Leopold M'Clintock, who gladly accepted. On 1st
July 1857, Captain McClintock duly embarked on board the "Fox",
at request of Lady Franklin, and set forth on his fourth expedition to find
Franklin. For this expedition, McClintock had obtained leave of absence
but the time occupied was afterwards counted in his service.
The direction he took had been learnt from the Eskimo. Leopold was thoroughly
conversant with all the peculiar needs of an Arctic expedition and apart
from any financial gain, his whole heart was in the cause. As well as this,
he was proud of the discoveries he had made in the Arctic regions of Canada
and, as he afterwards wrote "I could not willingly resign to posterity
the honour of filling up even the smallest remaining blank upon our maps".
By the winter reached Melville Bay on the north coast of Greenland.
Here the ship became locked in the frozen ice and for eight months she drifted
southwards, until finally she was released from the ice more than 1,000
miles from Melville Bay, Captain McClintock seized the first opportunity
and at once sailed northwards. This enabled McClintock to lay down the unknown
northern coastline of Canada, and map King William's Island. It also enabled
him to prove the existence of a channel from Victoria Straits to Melville
Sound which is now known as the McClintock Channel. He discovers
a collection of Atanerkuerdluk fossil flora on coast of Greenland
(adding name "Macclintochia" to the Botanists' Directory)
but no Franklin.
Landing on King William's Island, the expedition was divided into three
sledge trains. One of these explored the estuary of the Fish river, one
went onto the nearby Prince of Wales Island, while the third examined the
west coast of King William's Island, where McClintock's idea that traces
of the missing ships would be found, was borne out. At Point Victory, on
the north west coast of the island, the expedition found a record of the
missing men. The first entry was dated 28th May, 1847, and read "Sir
John Franklin is commanding the expedition, and all is well". The
diary traced the fate of the expedition from May 1847 to April 1848. It
recorded the death of Sir John Franklin on 11th June, 1847. The last
entry was dated 25th April, and tells us that "the ships were frozen
in the ice since 12th September. The officers and crew (105 men) are leaving
the ships and starting back along the banks of the Fish river. The total
loss by deaths on the expedition so far has been to this date, nine officers
and fifteen men".
Nearby was found a large boat, 28 foot long and 7 foot wide. Portions of
two human skeletons were in the boat. There also were five watches and several
articles of clothing, some small books and a Bible. Spoons and forks with
the crest of Sir John Franklin were also found and, taking these memorials,
the expedition set off on the homeward voyage. The "Fox"
reached Blackwell deck on 23rd September, 1858. The relics were deposited
at the Admiralty where, in McClintock's words, "they now form a
simple and most touching momento of those heroic men who perished in the
path of duty, but not before they achieved the purpose of their voyage,
the discovery of the "North West Passage".
Immediately on his return, Captain McClintock reported to the Admiralty
the result of his search and the reply acknowledged that he gave the first
authentic account of the fate of Sir John Franklin. They also informed him
that on the instructions of Queen Victoria, his period of service on the
"Fox" was recognized by them as "sea time"
thereby giving him considerable seniority.
Footnote (70): 'Famous Arctic Explorers from Dundalk: Sir Leopold McClintock', by Garret Magowan (August 5th, 1967).
1857 Events
· Viscount Gough receives arguably his most prized possession - a
Knighthood of St. Patrick - being the first knight of the order not holding
an Irish peerage.
· Robert Fitzroy, former Captain of the Beagle, became
a rear-admiral in 1857 and vice admiral in 1863. Captain Bunbury met him during the Voyages of the Samarang. He is also remembered as
the originator of the 'Fitzroy Barometer'.
· John McClintock's brother-in-law John Lefroy gazetted Inspector-General of army schools,
whereby all matters connected with regimental education were placed under
his direction, and he at once organised a large staff of trained school
masters.
· Indian "Mutiny" ended with the Siege of Lucknow.
THE ATLANTIC CABLES
The Great Eastern, the largest steamship in the world, launched at Millwall in 1858 by designer Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806-59). Although ground-breaking in design, the passenger liner was a commerical failure. In 1864, she was sold to a Greenwich-based cable-laying company for £25,000, a fraction of its original cost. From 1865 to 1872, she laid four telegraphs under the Atlantic, and others to link Bombay and Eden. How familiar was the Captain with these antics? He must have been amazed to see the link established between Ireland and the Americas. He was still alive when, in 1865, the European end of the Atlantic cable was laid at Foilhummerum Bay on Valentia Island, off the coast of Co Kerry, from where it connected to the existing landline. The American end was at Heart's Content in Newfoundland. Once the telegraph was established, Queen Victoria exchanged congratulations with President Andrew Johnson. The message took several hours to cross the Ocean where it had formerly taken aproximately 12 days.
1858 Events
· The Irish Republican Brotherhood (Fenian movement) founded by
exiles in America.
· August 16th: First message to be sent across the Atlantic by cable received
at Valentia Island, Kerry, reads "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, good will to men."Turtle Bunbury
.
Gladstone inadvertently head-butts the Bishop of Paxos during a tour of the Ionian Islands. (See Mediterranean, Portrait of a Sea, by Ernle Bradford).
GENERAL ELECTION
On Tuesday, April 12, 1859, The Irish Times reported that the Captain and Henry Bruen had addressed the electors of the county and ‘their re-election is considered certain’. The same paper said that while Bruen had just returned to Oak Park from Dublin, ‘Captain W B McClintock Bunbury, MP, Mrs Bunbury, and family, [had] arrived at merrion-square north.’ Two days later, a shorthorn bull bred by the Captain in 1856 won the first prize of 3 sovereigns in the Class 1 - Short-Horned Division at the Royal Dublin Society’s Spring Show.
1859 Events
· Charles Darwin, The Origin of Species.
· Viscount Gough made a privy councillor, a Knight of the Star of
India and of St. Charles of Spain.
· Royal Commission on the defence of the UK includes Brevet-Colonel
John Lefroy among its members. His wife died that year also, and he married
secondly Charlotte Anne (eldest daughter of Colonel T. Dundas of Fingask
and widow of Colonel Armine Mountain, C.B) who, with two sons and two daughters,
survived him.
· In the third last election for a Borough seat, John Alexander defeated
by Sir John Acton, a nephew of Cardinal Acton.
· Ireland's first daily penny newspaper, The Irish Times,
is founded.
In 1859, William's cousin, Francis McClintock
published 'The
Voyage of the 'Fox' in the Arctic
seas : A narrative of the discovery of the fate of
Sir John Franklin and his companions'.
Sir Leopold McClintock
In Dundalk-Court-house, on 31st October, 1859, Leopold McClintock was the guest of honour at a dinner, at which he received a presentation of silver and an address of welcome. Accepting the address, Sir Leopold said that he would 'cherish it always, more than any other honour, as it comes from the town where I spent my youth, from the friends of my boyhood days, from my home'. Dublin and London followed suit, and he received the freedom of both cities. Dublin University gave him the honorary degree of L.L.D. and Queen Victoria conferred on him a Knighthood. A more tangible token of the nation's gratitude was a parliamentary grant of five thousand pounds, awarded at the instigation of Lord Palmerston and Disraeli. (71) His book The Voyage of the "Fox" in the Arctic Seas is also published. On top of all this a large chunk of the Arctic was named after him, although his vast knowledge of the North West Passage proved worthless to mercantile shipping, especially with the short cut to Asia provided by the opening of the Suez Canal.
Footnotes
(71) The newly elevated Sir Francis McClintock was not a man to rest on
his laurels. The use of the recently invented "Electric Telegraph"
was spreading and it was decided to lay a cable from Europe to America.
The task fell to Sir Leopold who was given command of H.M.S. "Bulldog".
He plotted a course from the Faroe Islands, through Iceland and Greenland
to Labrador. By following this course, it was found that then length of
the submarine cable did not exceed five-hundred miles in any one section.
In 1870, at the age of 51, Sir Leopold married Annette Elizabeth, daughter
of the Honorable Robert Foster Dunlop of Monasterboice, and retired from
active service, taking a position as Aide de Camp to Queen Victoria. Between
1872 and 1877 McClintock was Admiral Superintendent of the Portsmouth Dockyard.
He died in 1907 and is buried in Westminster Abbey. Sir Leopold died on
17th November, 1907 at his home in London. Most of the people of Dundalk
hoped that his final resting place would be in his native place, where he
was born, raised and educated by the side of his father in Saint Nicholas
Churchyard, but this was not to be. On 20th November, Sir Leopold McClintock
was laid to rest in London, with representatives of the King of England
and the Prince of Wales at the graveside.
RATHVILLY MARRIAGE 1860
(Transcribed by Cara Links)
Groom:- David Dagg
Bride:- Francis Giltrap
Grooms Father:- James Dagg
Brides Father James Giltrap
Date of Marriage 27/9/1860
PARISH:-Rathvilly
1860 Events
· Despite emigration, over 800,000 attending national schools in
Ireland.
· Garibaldi's Redshirts begin process of Italian unification and
free Sicily.
· Lister pioneers antiseptic surgery (until 1865).
Prince Albert died in 1861.
1861 Events
· Viscount Gough made G.C.S.I. and Honorary Colonel of the London
Irish Rifle Volunteers.
. Death of Prince Albert.
· Painting of Sir F.L. McClintock on cockloft stairs at Lisnavagh
dated to 9th Feb 1861.
Death of Sir Thomas Butler, 8th Bart, of Ballintemple, Co. Carlow, aged
78 (8th Nov). He was buried alongside his favourite daughter who had died
in November 1829 aged 12.
· Outbreak of American Civil War (until 1865).
· Harland & Wolff begins shipbuilding in Belfast.
· Eviction of tenants by landlord John George Adair in County Donegal
to make way for sheep.
· Victor Emmanuel proclaimed King of Italy.
· Emancipation of the serfs in Russia.
Bella's Christneing
Bella Bunbury's confirmation took place in Carlow Church on Wednesday 4th June 1862 with the Bishop of Ossory, Ferns and Leighlin presiding.
The Chiltern Hundreds
In the summer of 1862, declining health forced Captain Bunbury to retire from politics and accept the Stewardship of the Chiltern Hundreds. He had represented the county unopposed for the greater part of 14 years. On July 25th the following address was sent from Lisnavagh to his electors:
"Gentlemen, - Circumstances over which I have no control prevent me from attending to my duties in Parliament as your representative, and therefore it is that I am compelled, with very great regret, to return into your hands that trust with which you have honoured me for so many years. I cannot resign the honourable position of member of the county of Carlow, which by your favour I have so long enjoyed, without expressing my deep gratitude for the great kindness I have at all times experienced from you, and for the forbearance you have invariably shown towards my shortcomings, the recollections of which, be assured, can never be effaced from my memory. I have the honour to remain, Gentlemen, Your ever faithful servant, Wm Bunbury McClintock Bunbury".
The Captain's vacated seat was promptly filled on 7th August by Denis William Pack Beresford of Fenagh, Co. Carlow. Denis's grandfather was Major General Sir Dennis Pack, a prominent soldier in the Napoleonic Wars who had received the thanks of Parliament on five occasions. General Pack married Lady Elizabeth Beresford, daughter of the Marquis of Waterford, who took on the name Pack in compliance with the will of her illegitimate brother William Carr, Viscount Beresford. Denis was married to Annette Clayton Browne of Browne's Hill, Carlow, by who he had seven sons. (72)
Footnotes
(72) Of the seven sons, the eldest Dennis succeeded to Fenagh and died in
1942. Arthur was killed in South Africa. The third son, Major Charles George
of the Royal West Kent Regiment was killed at Mons in 1914 while shouting
"Come on boys, they are ours" - there's an account of Charles's
last moments in "The Carlow Gentry" by Jimmy O'Toole (1993),
which has a basic chapter on the P-Bs. Henry was the fourth son. According
to Burke's Landed Gentry of Ireland (1959) Lt Col Henry John Pack Beresford,
was born on 22nd August 1871 and educated at Clifton. He served with the
Malakand and Bunei Field Force on the Punjab Frontier (1897 - 98, won medal
with clasp) and in the Great War (DAA, QMG 21st Div, 2nd Bn HLI). On 28
July 1904 he married Sybil Maud, yst dau of John Bell of Rushpool, Saltburn,
Yorkshire. They were divorced in 1914. he died on 26th may 1945, leaving
two sons, Comdr Denis John PB, RN (father of the fellow who died two years
ago) and Cmdr Tristram Anthony PB, RN, Inspector of Imperial Lighthouse
Service, Bahamas Islands, from 1949. The fifth son Reynell was a prominent
agriculturalist and cattle breeder and lived in Co. Down. The sixth son
Hugh and seventh son Algernon died unmarried in 1954 and 1908 respectively.
Also two sisters Elizabeth and Annette who died unmarried in 1937 and 1941.
I believe Denis's line has now almost totally died out - perhaps a granddaughter
called Alice. And I know not what became of Tristram's daughters Caroline
(b. 1945) and Moya (b. 1949).
DEATH OF JOHN MALONE
1862 sees the death of John Malone, aged 61, agent or steward of Lisnavagh since at least 1848. He was buried at St Mary's of Rathvilly on 24 May. I am in touch with his descendents. One legend holds that he was thrown from his horse and killed while riding at Lisnavagh. The room in which he was allegedly waked at Lisnavagh was said to be haunted, obliging Lord Rathdonnell to block it up. The same tale says Malone was staunchly anti-Catholic which does not necessarily hold to the notion that he was of Quaker origin but, as Dick Corrigan says, ‘a lot of these stories gather wool on their way around’. Another Malone, based at Rathmore, is said to have murdered the parish priest but thus far I know of no priests murdered locally. These stories were told by Annie Tracey, also known as Baby Tracey, principal at Rathvilly School and a useful folklorist, in the Schools volume on Rathvilly in the National Folklore Collection at UCD. She owned Rathvilly Mill in the 1930s. [1862 was also the year that the Douglas’s left for New Zealand which may be relevant.]
It seems as though the vacant post was then fille by Frederick Devon. A later Steward was Sean Keogh who lived at Mount Lucas. Dick Corrigan told me a story of how Keogh decided to replace the banjaxed cobble stone kitchen floor with a cement floor. A man, possibly Pat O’Toole, was employed for the job and had just finished levelling the wet cement when a sow broke into the house and went for a trot. Dick said the curses of Pat O’Toole could be heard on Rathvilly Motte. (Dick also says 'Rathvilly must have been the last place God lived because he left all the Toole’s behind'). The original house at Mount Lucas was burnt in the 1960s. Keogh’s son, Dr. Harry Keogh, was the man who invented the Rooster Potato while working with Teagasc at Oakpark Research Station. Harry was one of the most successful plant breeders of his or any other generation, applying the best of science genetics to breed this most successful of varieties.
EARLSCLIFF
Captain Bunbury takes a lease on Emily Cottage, Earlscliff, Baily, Howth, Co Dublin. The property was held by Cornelius Egan under a 99-year lease of 1847 from the Earl of Howth. The Captain rented it either from Egan or William McDougall, possibly because his own or his wife's health required sea-bathing. He bought it in c.1866, and she appears to have lived there, in preference to Lisnavagh, until her death in 1876. The sale of the house after the Pauline's death was advertised in the Freeman's Journal of May 1st 1877 which said that the 'present proprietor has expended a considerable sum in valuable and judicious improvements, and the place is now in perfect condition.' Presumably these improvements were carried out by her son, Thomas Kane McClintock-Bunbury who put the house on the market for c.£2,000. The sale of Earlscliffe discussed in the letters of 1876 must have fallen through, as it was not sold until 1878, and then only for £1,500. As it happens, the lease was later taken up by John Pentland Mahaffy, sometime tutor to Oscar Wilde and ex Provost of Trinity College, who married William McDougall's daughter, Frances Letitia in 1865. (With thanks to David Foley, Earlscliff).
Death of Lady Stronge
On 9th November 1862, the Captain's mother-in-law, Isabella, Lady Stronge, passes away on the 12th April.
1862 Events
· Viscount Gough receives the Field-Marshal's baton (9th Nov).
· Victor Hugo, Les Miserables.
. The Great Southern & Western, which came to Borris in the 1850s, now
goes over a monumental 16 arch viaduct built by the Incredible Mr Kavanagh
across the Mountain River at a cost £20,000. Captain Bunbury is clearly much inspired and starts hotting up interest for a line to Baltinglass.
DUBLIN & BALTINGLASS JUNCTION RAILWAY - 1863
The Lisnavagh Archives G/9/1-6) contain various letters and papers belonging to Capt. W.B. McClintock-Bunbury referring to the Dublin-Baltinglass Junction Railway, of which he was a director and for a while acting Chairman. This includes a printed prospectus of 2 October 1863, which describes the undertaking as follows:
'DUBLIN AND BALTINGLASS JUNCTION RAILWAY,
Capital, £180, 000, in 18, 000 shares of £10 each, Deposit, £1 per share,
Provisional Committee: (with power to add to their number),
Chairman: Capt. W.B. McClintock Bunbury, Lisnavagh, Baltinglass,
Deputy Chairman: Major R. Borrows, Gilltown, Kilcullen.
[Committee: It then lists the following but order of names and locations may be muddled - John La Touche Esq. (Harristown, Kilcullen), Abraham Shackleton, Esq. (Ballitore), C.J. Cramer Roberts Esq. (Sallymount, Brannoxtown), William Jones Westby Esq. (High Park, Baltinglass), Thomas R. Hardy Esq. (9 Mount Street Crescent), David Mahony Esq. (Grangecon), John McMahon Esq. (Donard), Thomas Pim Esq., Jnr. (William Street), Richard S. Chandlee Esq. (Baltinglass), James Wall Esq. (Knockrigg, Grange, Athy)].
Bankers: Messrs La Touche & Co., Dublin,
Consulting Engineer: George W. Hemann Esq., Dublin and , 13 Queen Square, Westminster, London,
Engineer: James Dillon Esq., 13 Lower Ormond Quay, , Dublin,
Solicitors: Newtons & Armstrong, Dublin and, Dungannon,
Secretary: H.W. Kelly Esq., Temporary Offices: 13 Blackhall Street, Dublin
PROSPECTUS, The object of this undertaking is to provide Railway Communication with Dublin, for the towns of Naas, Ballmore-Eustace, Dunlavin, Donard, Ballitore, Timolin, Stratford-on-Slaney, Baltinglass, Hacketstown, Rathvilly, Kiltegan and for the populous districts, in which those towns are situated. ... Having regard to the cheapness of construction, to the wealth and, population of the district, and to the large existing traffic in passengers, agricultural produce, and goods (particularly along the mail coach road from Baltinglass to Dublin), the Provisional Committee confidently believe that the undertaking will be amply remunerative to the shareholders., Many of the landed proprietors through whose estates the line is intended to run, have already taken shares, and parties in Dublin, not locally interested, have also shown their confidence in the undertaking by becoming shareholders., The Committee entertain a confident opinion that there is no quarter from which any opposition can arise in parliament. The Great Southern and Western Railway Co. are favourable to this project, and are prepared to work the line on very reasonable terms.', Many of the correspondents in G/9 are the people named in this prospectus.
1863 Events
· Captain William McClintock Bunbury makes his last will and testament.
· Death of Lady Frances Gough.
· First underground railway, London.
· U.S.A. abolishes slavery.
. Dublin-born financial scamer Abraham Gottheimer changes his name by deed poll to Albert Grant and starts operating as a wine merchant. He soon began to make his mark as a promoter of companies, talking them up, convincing investors to come on board. By 1867, Baron Grant calculates his wealth at over half a million sterling but his peak is now over.
* Carlow Morning Post, Jan 1863.
William Curran of Rutland, Carlow summoned John Murphy for stealing his
turnips.
Mr. Malcomson who appeared for Curran said that Murphy was in the employment
of Curran as a daily labourer,
and Curran missed turnips from time to time.
He was obliged to watch and on this evening he caught this man taking
turnips.
Curran was obliged to take this case as there was a considerable quantity of
turnips taken from him this time back.
William Curran stated that this man was in my employment for the last four
years, on the 30th December, I went home
for my supper and shortly after going home he saw Murphy in his field
pulling turnips, he had hold of three of them by the tops,
I approached him , he said "Oh Lord, Oh Lord, for a few turnips".
Defendant (Murphy) ---I am those eight years in your employment , back and
forward, and from that day to this did you ever see me in any robbery ?
Curran ---I know I did'nt, you are very lazy at your work.
Defendant---I was taking the turnips for my wife and child to eat, and for
no other intention.
Curran---His wife made no demand on me for wages. I paid his wages whenever
it became due.
Judge --- You are fined 10 shillings or a fortnight's imprisonment with hard
labour.
The Bunbury Oarsmen
By 1863 Tom McClintock Bunbury was captaining the Eton Boat Crew - and young Jack was on the same team. Jack rowed with him again in 1868, and stroked the Eton eight for the next two years, so that three years in succession there was a Bunbury at the stroke oar. Dr. Michael Bunbury of St. Vincent advised me that at least one of the boys was in Penn House.
Earlscliffe
In about 1864, the Captain purchased the house of Earlscliffe in Howth, Co. Dublin, which the family held until after his wife's death in 1876. From her letters to Colonel Kane Bunbury, it is apparent that Pauline was certainly living there by July 1871 - and, according to Colonel Kane Bunbury, this greatly improved her health. (Lisnavagh Archives, G/J/13, Kane Bunbury correspondence).
Death of Sir James Stronge
On 2nd December 1864, the Captain's brother-in-law, Sir J.M. Stronge, passed away aged 80 and was succeeded by his eldest son, James Matthew Stronge, MP for Armagh (1864 - 74), a Lieutenant-Colonel with the Royal Tyrone Fusiliers.
1864 Events
· Carlow Cricket Club pavilion and grounds established at Tiney
Park, near Carlow Town (Bruen land). Burton Hall leased out to Moore family
by Captain Burton of Winchfield, Hants.
· Sir Thomas Woseley builds family seat of Mount Wolseley outside
Tullow. His sons, Garnet and Frederick would have been rising up the military
and vehicular hierarchies at this stage.
· Ireland
· Under the auspices of the R.D.S., an international (the first)
horse show is held in Dublin, featuring a wide variety of saddle horses,
brood mares and ponies.
· Foundation stone of the O'Connell monument laid in Dublin.
· Prussia, under Bismarck, defeats Denmark and annexes Schleswig-Holstein.
Red Cross founded in Switzerland.
High Sheriff McClintock Bunbury
Captain W.B. McClintock Bunbury served as High Sheriff for Co. Carlow in 1865.
Sir Francis Leopold McClintock
was elected a fellow of the
Royal Society and became
MP for Drogheda in 1865.
1865 Events
· Admiral Fitzroy, who commanded the Beagle 30 years earlier,
commits suicide.
· In 1865, Governor Eyre of Jamaica executed Gordon, a black representative
of the House of Commons, for unproven involvement in a rising by the Jamaican
people. The move caused moral mayhem across Britain. Did Eyre prevent another
Cawnpore massacre or was it pure murder?
· Sir F.L. McClintock elected a fellow of the Royal Society and successfully
contests seat in parliament for the borough of Drogheda where he met Anette
Dunlop.
· Charles Booth founds Salvation Army.
· William Butler Yeats born in south Dublin.
· Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
Lisnavagh Photograph Albums
When family photos are unnamed, what starts to happen after a while is
that faces start to become familiar. Or rather family traits suddenly leap
out at the beholder of photographs. I see a girl reading a letter beneath
a tree, a massive hula-hoopy sort of skirt around her waist, and she looks
the spit of all my Doyle cousins rolled into one. I see my brothers' eyes
in the face of an old man with fine black ruffled whiskers rolling down
his sides and over his upper lip as he sits in a wooden chair, one elbow
on the table, looking thoughtful upon the distance. I wonder is this Captain
William McClintock Bunbury at a later age than his Library portrait suggests?
I mean whoever painted that portrait the accompanies the start of this article
has given him a neck that ET the Extra Terrestrial would find offensive.
But just when you think you've cracked it and yes, that's definitely the
Captain's daughters, Helen and Isabella McClintock Bunbury, just before
they died early, you turn the page and there's a photo of Queen Vic and
the Prince Consort. There are a lot of pictures of Victorian celebrities.
I guess in those days, with newspapers rarely ever printing any form of
a photograph, people collected mugshots of the rich and famous. These mini-photographs
must have been a valuable reference material. There was probably a great
racket to be made out of collecting them all. I'll swap you a Livingstone
for a Gladstone. I'll give you three Prince Alfreds for one of Lord Roberts.
When I was a kid I covered my walls in pictures of pop-stars with alarmingly
bad haircuts. I later stripped these down and re-clad my walls with pictures
of scantily clad but undoubtedly beautiful women taken from my mother's
Vogues and the like. It's peculiar to think how quickly some Heroes of our
Time fade to dust and are ousted by dashing young soccer strikers and guitar
strumming rock chicks. That said, a substantial number of portraitures are
named and they read like a sturdy Who's Who of, at the very least, the Victorian
gentry of Counties Carlow and Louth. Cousins and family friends leap from
every page. Carlow and the sunny south east is headed up by Alexanders,
Bagenals, Brownes, Bruens, Burtons, Butlers, Conollys, Ducketts, Goughs,
Grogans and Ponsonbys. The Stronges bring in De Vesci, Calverts and Nugents
galore. Louth features Fosters, McClintocks and Bellinghams. There are portraits
of about 20 members of the Scots Greys, into which regiment Tom, Jack and
Billy Bunbury would all go. And there are plentiful snaps of leading politicians
and Eton headmasters and all the rest of it. Elsewhere there are Lefroys
and Staples and Bensons (Miss. Mary Benson is quite a looker), Ruttledges,
Spring-Rices, Hall Dares, Cochranes, McDougalls … it may be me, but
there definitely seems to be Scottish hue to the family names of many of
these punters. And, coincidentally, they're all looking pretty dour. Maybe
that was the way of it in the days before people learnt to say "Cheese".
These days the only people allowed to look quite so unapproachable and moody
are otherwise beautiful fashion models. Again, in the days before easy printing,
were these people's hard copy of what their friends, family and political
heroes looked like. Was it so mothers could flick through and decide which
boys would best suit their daughters?
For all that, one of the small green albums is definitely a gem. It unearthed
the amazing and charming talents of one Isabella McClintock Bunbury, daughter
of Captain McCB and his good wife, Pauline. Unfortunately Isabella - or
Bella, it seems - did not survive into her 20s. Consumption most probably.
Colonel Kane's letters to Pauline indicate that she was ill for some time.
She was definitely a talented girl. She would have been a great hit with
logo designers in this day and age and, if ever we are in need of someone
to reshape the McClintock Bunbury name into a logo, her mid-Victorian concepts
are well worth a look. She is also the subject of a jolly wee ditty, written
for her birthday or some such, by her cousin CE McClintock on March 25th
1865. (73)
Footnote
(73) I presume this is Charles Edward McClintock, a grandson of Bumper Jack
by his second marriage to Lady Elizabeth Clancarty. Charles's parents were
Major Stanley McClintock of Kilwarlin House in County Down and Gertrude
La Touche of Harristown, Co. Kildare. He was born on 11th May 1844, making
him just 21 when he wrote this. He would later (1881) marry Blanche Foster
Dunlop of Monasterboice, County Louth, and had three sons. He served as
a Colonel with the Royal Irish Rifles.
An Ode on Isabella Bunbury's Looks.
The tout ensemble of her face,
Is pleasing, bright and full of grace,
Her eyes are brown and shining bright,
Though not both of the same size quite;
I think her nose is quite delightful,
Though some folk say it is so frightful.
Some think it points up towards the sky,
But this I must with truth deny.
And Constance here with me agrees,
Because she too with straight eyes sees:
Her lips are like a full blown rose
And through them pretty teeth she shows.
Dark hair grows low upon her forehead
And her complexion is not quite florid.
Her eyebrows, they are passing fine,
And look quite like a penciled line.
She's pretty, taking all in all,
Her figures good though she's but small.
Enough I've said about this matter
All's true for I do hate to flatter.(74)
Footnotes
(74) The Constance referred to here must be Constance McClintock, eldest
daughter of Lieutenant Colonel George McClintock of Rathvinden who, like
his half--brother, Captain William McClintock Bunbury, had married a daughter
of Sir James Stronge - in this case Catherine Brownlow Stronge. On 16th
July 1881, Constance married a 33 year old Oxford graduate, lately returned
from the Civil Service in Bengal, named Henry Crossley Irwin. In 1883, Henry
succeeded his father and the couple moved into Mount Irwin in County Down.
Death of Captain Bunbury (1866)
The 4th June is celebrated by Etonians as the birthday of George III. A service was held with a sermon by the Bishop of Oxford (in lieu of the Provost, the Rev. Dr. Goodford, who was ill and recovering at St. Leonard's. After speeches, luncheon and promenading in the fields, the boys assembled to hear the band of the Royal Horse Guards play between 2 and 3 in the upper shooting fields. Jack Bunbury probably left shortly after the choral service to prepare for the afternoon's boat race. Shortly after 6:00, the eight boats left for Surly Hall in the rain. Jack was on board the 'Prince of Wales' with Messrs. Unthank, Hodgson, Entwisle, Tayleur, Eyton, Mirehouse, Thornhill and Roberts (coxswain). Jack was then one of the few boys in training for Henley. At Surly, the boats 'partook of supper, provided by Mr. Layton, of Windsor, and on their return to Windsor they pulled round and round the Eyot whence a splendid display of fireworks was let off as usual by Mr. H. Fenwick, of Lambeth, with which the rain, always propitious to the birthday of George III, played sad havoc'. One wonders did Jack know that his father had died at Lisnavagh two days earlier on 2nd June 1866. Perhaps it was all those years at sea. Perhaps it was gout on account of his passion for port.
Captain Bunbury's Obituary from the Carlow Sentinel
Death of Captain McClintock Bunbury
It becomes our painful duty to record the demise of this inestimable gentleman,
which melancholy event took place at Lisnevagh (75), on the morning of the
2nd instant, from an affection of the heart.
The profound sorrow with which the announcement of his sudden and unexpected
death was received throughout the county, testified how universally he was
respected; but the best eulogium to the memory of the lamented deceased
is "the life he had led". Kind, genial, and courteous in manner
and disposition; endeared to his family and friends by the observance of
every social and domestic virtue, and to the community in general by the
honourable discharge of his public duties; one of the best of landlords,
and a sincere Christian.
The deceased gentleman, William Bunbury McClintock Bunbury, who had reached
his 66th year, was the younger of the two sons of the late John McClintock,
Esq., MP, of Drumcar, in the county of Louth, by his first marriage with
Jane, the only daughter (76) of the late William Bunbury, Esq, of Lisnevagh,
MP for the county of Carlow, which lady died in 1801. He entered the navy
at an early age; was present at the battle of Algiers on board the Severn,
50-gun frigate, and retired from the service in 1832. In 1846, on the death
of his maternal uncle, Thomas Bunbury, Esq, MP, (in compliance with whose
will he assumed the name and arms of Bunbury in addition to his patronymic),
he was unanimously chosen to fill the vacancy then created in the representation
of the county of Carlow, for which he sat until the general election of
1852, when, after a sharp and spirited contest, he was defeated by the narrow
majority of 13 votes. Early in the following year he was again elected by
an unopposed return, in the room of the late Colonel Bruen (77), and at
the general elections of 1857 and 1859, he was returned without opposition,
having on both occasions for his colleague the present Henry Bruen , Esq,
MP. (78)
In 1862 he applied for an obtained the Stewardship of the Chiltern Hundreds
(79); and "it was with very great regret", as his retiring
speech informed the electors (a regret which was very widely shared by his
constituents), "that he was compelled (uncontrollable circumstances
preventing his attending to his duties in Parliament) to return into their
hands the trust with which he had been honoured for so many years".
(80)
Since that period he has been a consistent resident at Lisnevagh, where
he devoted himself to the discharge of his varied and responsible duties
as a landed proprietor, country gentleman and magistrate. In 1865 he filled
the office of High Sheriff for this county.
Captain Bunbury married Pauline Caroline Diana Mary, second daughter of
the late Sir James Matthew Stronge, Bart, of Tynan Abbey, county Armagh,
and by her, who survives him, he has left a family of two sons and as many
daughters. The eldest son, Thomas, who is now in his 18th year, succeeds
to his landed estates.
Footnote
(75) Lisnevagh was an alternative spelling to Lisnavagh.
(76) Was there another daughter who married Mr. Greene?
(77) Colonel Bruen was grandfather to Katherine Anne, Lady Rathdonnell.
(78) Henry Bruen was Katherine Anne's father.
(79) Chiltern Hundreds refers to the obsolete administrative districts of
Stoke, Burnham, and Desborough in Buckinghamshire, incorporating the chalky
Chiltern Hills in south central England. The stewardship of the Chiltern
Hundreds is an obsolete office with only a nominal salary. It is, however,
legally an office of profit under the crown and, as such, may not be held
by a member of Parliament. Since members of Parliament may not resign, "applying
for the Chiltern Hundreds" or for the similarly obsolete stewardship
of the Manor of Northstead is the method, still used today, by which a member
gives up his seat.
(80) I do not know what the "uncontrollable circumstances" were.
THE FUNERAL
On Thursday the remains of the above lamented gentleman were interred in
anew family vault beneath the north transept of Rathvilly Church. Despite
an almost incessant downpour of rain, an immense concourse of persons assembled
from every part of the county, including all the tenantry on the Bunbury
estates, to pay a last tribute of respect to the deceased. Eleven o'clock
was the hour announced for the funeral to leave, but, as upwards of 300
scarfs, &c, were distributed, it was found impossible to have all the
arrangements completed until a little before twelve o'clock, when the mournful
procession was formed, headed by the tenantry, on foot, all wearing scarfs
and bands. The hearse was drawn by four jet-black steeds with sable trappings,
followed by two mourning coaches, the equipages of the deceased gentleman,
of Colonel Kane Bunbury (uncle to the deceased) and of the county gentry
generally; those again, followed by a long line of cars and other vehicles
- the entire extending nearly a mile in length.
The occupants of the first mourning coach were - Thomas
Kane McClintock Bunbury, eldest son of deceased; John
William McClintock Bunbury, second son of deceased; John McClintock,
Esq, of Drumcar, brother to deceased; and the Rev. Robert McClintock. (81)
The second mourning coach was occupied by Major Stanley McClintock, Lieut-Col
George McClintock, J. Calvert Stronge, Esq, and Captain Maxwell Dupre Stronge.
In the carriage of the deceased - Thomas Vesey Nugent, Esq; Frederic Devon,
Esq, and Robert Todd Huston, Esq, MD.
On arriving at the entrance to the burial ground, the coffin was carried
by the tenants to the church where the Psalms and Lessons appointed for
the occasion were read by the officiating clergymen, the Rev.
Quinton Dick Hume and the Rev. Samuel Quinton. The coffin
was then conveyed to the entrance to the vault, where the remainder of the
very solemn and consoling Burial Service was read, after which the remains
of the departed worth were consigned to the abode of the dead, and the gates
of the vault closed upon its first occupant.
The remains were enclosed in three coffins, one of lead, and the outer of
oak, richly but plainly draped in black cloth, with a silver shield, bearing
the following engraved inscription: -
"WILLIAM BUNBURY MCCLINTOCK BUNBURY
CAPTAIN, R.N.,
DIED JUNE 2, 1866
AGED 66 YEARS".
The funeral arrangements were most satisfactorily carried out by Mr. William Boake, and the coffins supplied by Messrs. William Douglas and J.C. Deighton, all of this town. The hearse and mourning coaches were from Dublin.
Footnotes
(81) Where was his wife and two daughters?
The Captain's Will
The Captain was buried in the family vault at St. Mary's in Rathvilly where he was all to soon to be joined by his wife and daughters. In his will, he instructed his brothers, George (Augustus Jocelyn) McClintock, Robert Le Poer McClintock, Henry Stanley McClintock and John McClintock (later 1st Baron Rathdonnell) that all life tenants and tenants in tail "shall take and from thenceforth use the surname of Bunbury only and no other name in addition to his or her or their Christian names and shall bear the arms of Bunbury quartered with his, her or their own family arms". He bequeathed to his widow and sole executor of his will, £3000 and "the use of my mansion house and demesne at Lisnevagh together with the use of all my pictures, plates, china, linen, glass, furniture, horses, carriages, harness, saddles, bridles, farming stock and implements of husbandry" until each of his children was 21 after which they would also be entitled to such usage. He left his son Tom the Bunbury estates and also provided £14,000 for his two younger children, Jack and Isabella, and a further £300 pa up until their 21st birthday "for or towards heir advancement in the world". John Calvert Stronge and Thomas Vessey Nugent were his trustees.
Captain Bunbury's eldest son,
Thomas Kane McClintock
Bunbury,
was 18 years old when he
succeeded to Lisnavagh. He would later
become the 2nd Baron Rathdonnell
and President of the Royal Dublin Society.
1866 Events
· Birth of Frederick John Dalgety, later husband to the Captain's
granddaughter, Pauline McClintock Bunbury (19th Nov).
· John McClintock made Lord Lieutenant for Co. Louth (until death
in 1879).
· Art Kavanagh elected MP for Co. Wexford. Two years later, he was
elected for Carlow, a seat he retained until 1880.
· First transatlantic telegraph cable linked to Valencia Island,
Kerry.
· Paul Cullen becomes first Irish cardinal.
· Marriage of 33 year old Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge to
Francis, Prince of Teck on 6th June, four days after Captain Bunbury died..
· Bismarck made German Chancellor and defeats Austria in the Seven
Weeks War.
Extract from Carlow Cathedral Baptism Register 1866:
John Seaconemow,
Convert:
A strolling black from Calcutta here on this day baptised having been under
instruction for a month or more.
Patt Murphy of Dublin Road answered for him at the font.
He thinks he is about 35 years of age.
Received by Father O' Neill.
Colonel Kane Bunbury to the Rescue
After William's death, his widow, Pauline McClintock Bunbury, was
faced with the unenviable task of maintaining one of the largest mansions
in Ireland, as well as raising four children between the ages of 22 and
12. To compound matters, neither of her daughters, Bella and Helen, were
in good health. Inevitably she turned to the man whose generosity had helped
her husband build Lisnavagh in the first place. The Lisnavagh archives show
that Colonel Kane Bunbury was a frequent correspondent of the Captain.
He spent his time between Moyle and Rathmore Park. His letters
reveal little more than a repetitive sense of hypochondria (reinforced by
a read of the Colonel's tiny diaries but perhaps the pain was genuine and
unvarying). But he has the manners to offer his constant good wishes to
William, Pauline and the family. In January1866, he asks how the Captain's
'pain in the back' is and expresses pleasure that the Captain's health
has improved since he moved to his 'Marine Villa'. He also mentions
a few visits by Captain George Bunbury.
Pauline's first letter to the Colonel mentions the delicate situation but
explains that given 'my poor Isabella's illness', she was out of
options. She could not get a loan because she had no security and no possibility
of repaying the lender. Hence, 'I venture to apply to you, trusting to
your willingness to assist us in our difficulties'. However, Pauline
soon found herself in the even more humbling position of writing a 'much
grieved' response to the Colonel, assuring him that an unspecified amount
of money which he had gifted to William had not been wilfully or wastefully
misspent. The Colonel seems to have been particularly irked that the money
had been spent on buying properties. Pauline told the Colonel that when
she and William first came to live in Carlow, 'we had a capital, I think,
of between 60 and 70,000 pounds'. She conceded that William had
spent between £20 - 30, 000 pounds ('I forget the exact sum') on the
purchase of small properties at the Aldborough 'and those near
Tullow and Hacketstown'. However, she assured the old man, 'the remainder
of his capital he spent on this house, gardens, place, and on our own living,
our children, elections & c'. In order to buy 'the Rathvilly
property', they borrowed money from the Royal Exchange. 'We also
borrowed from the same company a still larger sum to live upon when our
capital was expended'. Pauline insisted that all money gifted by the
Colonel 'was spent honestly and honourably on this house
and place, and if my dear Husband laid out less on the House and spent more
on the place than you wished, it was entirely from his mistaking your directions,
not from wilfully disregarding them'. She concluded by thanking the
Colonel profusely for all his support to her and her family down through
the years, 'believe me, yours affectionately, Pauline'.
Pauline's honest response worked. For the next ten years, the Colonel was
to be an invaluable source of financial support to the family. His letters
arrived at both Lisnavagh and Earlscliffe on random occasions but
the contents were almost always the same. 'I beg you will accept the
enclosed cheque for one thousand pounds' or 'Please to accept the
enclosed cheque'. There must be a dozen such letters and what a lovely
letter to receive! His directions are that they help her pay for the maintenance
of the house, for fitting out Jack in his regiment (December 10th
1871) and for helping Isabella whose health seems to have declined considerably
by December 18th 1868. They were not always without grumble - that same
letter of December 18th expresses surprise at 'William contracting so
large a debt'.
Footnote - See Lisnavagh Archives G/J/13 - Correspondence of Colonel Kane
Bunbury.
The Captain's Heirs
"Tom Bunbury" was not yet 18 years old, a schoolboy at Eton, but by 1870 both he and Jack were in the army. Tom went on to succeed as 2nd Baron Rathdonnell and became a prominent figure both in the Southern Irish Unionists and the Royal Dublin Society. Jack Bunbury seems to have had a rather unhappy life and died in his 40s. On May 11th 1867, less than a year after her father died, The Gentleman’s Magazine reported on the death ‘At Lisnevagh co Carlow aged 21 Isabella dau of the late Capt McClintock Bunbury RN’. Bella's younger sister, Helen, fared little better, passing on at the age of 16 in early 1870. Their widowed mother, Pauline, died on New Years Day 1876, leaving Tom and Jack as the sole surviving members of the McClintock Bunburys family.
With thanks to Michael Purcell, Michael McClintock, William McClintock Bunbury, Lord Rathdonnell, Rev. Mervyn McCullagh, Dick Corrigan, Adam Perkins, Captain Bill Hawarth, Kevin Bright, Bill Webster, Liz Wade, Andrew Davis, Harry Furr, Michael Brennan, Patricia Sigley, Kathryn Rountree (Associate Professor of Social Anthropology, Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand), Brian White (Bray Cualann Historical Society).
The Life of Captain William McClintock Bunbury 1800 - 1866
1. The
Formative Years 1800 - 1815.
2. The Sea Years 1815
- 1835.
3. The Political Years 1835 - 1866.
4. The Captain's Diary
Articles
- Benjamin Bunbury I (1642-1707)
- William Bunbury I (1674-1710)
- Thomas Bunbury I (1705-1774)
- William Bunbury III (1744-1778)
- Benjamin Bunbury II (1751-1823)
- Thomas Bunbury II (d. 1846)
- Captain William McClintock Bunbury (1800-1866)
- Tom McClintock Bunbury - 2nd Baron Rathdonnell (1848-1929)
- Hon. Jack Bunbury (1851-1893)
- Hon. Billy Bunbury (1878-1900)
- T. L. McClintock Bubury, 3rd Baron Rathdonnell (1881-1937)
- W.R. McClintock Bunbury, 4th Baron Rathdonnell (1914-1959)
- Major Hugh Massy (1914-1987)
- Kinsellagh's Hill
- Germaine's of Lisnavagh
- Rathvilly School, Birmingham