Landlords, Tenants, Famine: The Business of an Irish Land Agency in the 1840sDesmond Norton's fascinating study of the relationships between landlords and tenants in Ireland during the Great Famine period of the 1840s is principally based on a large uncatalogued archive in private ownership of the Stewart and Kincaid land agents. Much of the information from this unique resource is being published for the first time. Norton challenges existing assumptions about landlord-tenant relations, emigration and land improvement during the famine decade. Messrs Stewart and Kincaid was a firm of land agents based in Dublin, and most of the correspondence was addressed to its office there. The letters in the archive relate mainly to the estates managed by the firm during the 1840s, and give a rounded picture of life in the Irish countryside during the period. They provide evidence of some humane and caring landlords, the activities of middlemen, suffering tenants and emigration in a large number of locations, including Sligo and Roscommon, Clare and Limerick, Kilkenny, Carlow and Westmeath.Many famous families appear such as the Pakenhams and Ponsonbys, well-known historical figures, such as Lord Palmerston, who was foreign secretary and prime minister, as well as being a landlord in Sligo and Dublin. The evidence of the Stewart and Kincaid archives is complemented by research into other family archives and from the author's meetings with descendants of many of the families discussed. "Landlords, Tenants, Famine" is an immensely important contribution to scholarship on the Great Famine and to nineteenth-century Irish economic history. |
From inside the book
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Page 227
... [ Brennan's holding ] that Mtt . Brenan was murdered in . Ml . Brenan summoned me and I took him to an aturney and asked him to have it left to an arbitration .... Mr Gordon [ an important tenant ] was named by Purcell and I by Brenan ...
... [ Brennan's holding ] that Mtt . Brenan was murdered in . Ml . Brenan summoned me and I took him to an aturney and asked him to have it left to an arbitration .... Mr Gordon [ an important tenant ] was named by Purcell and I by Brenan ...
Page 236
... Brennan sometimes sent Kincaid a hamper of butter.34 He expected reciprocation . As will be indicated below , when Brennan was sent to prison in 1845 , he sought Stewart & Kincaid to use influence to secure his release . The background ...
... Brennan sometimes sent Kincaid a hamper of butter.34 He expected reciprocation . As will be indicated below , when Brennan was sent to prison in 1845 , he sought Stewart & Kincaid to use influence to secure his release . The background ...
Page 237
... Brennan , with a troop of his bailiffs ... rushed into the apartments occupied by the com- plainants , and in the most savage manner assaulted complainants , drove them out ... and still retains forcible and illegal possession .... Brennan ...
... Brennan , with a troop of his bailiffs ... rushed into the apartments occupied by the com- plainants , and in the most savage manner assaulted complainants , drove them out ... and still retains forcible and illegal possession .... Brennan ...
Contents
INTRODUCTION | 1 |
PALMERSTON IN SLIGO IN THE EARLY 1840s | 26 |
FOUR | 57 |
Copyright | |
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Landlords, Tenants, Famine: The Business of an Irish Land Agency in the 1840s Desmond Norton No preview available - 2006 |
Common terms and phrases
agent Ahamlish America arrears assisted emigration Ballinruane Ballyfeeny Barony Batty Blackwell Brennan brother Carlow Castlerea Cliffoney conacre Coolcullen County County Roscommon December Directory distrained distraint distress district drainage Dublin Earl of Howth early ejectment decrees Ennistymon eviction famine farm February Ferrall Ferrall lands Ferrall's firm Fitzgerald Frankfort holdings improvements indicated informed Stewart Ireland Irish J. R. Stewart James January John Stewart July June Kilglass Killucan Kincaid correspondence Kincaid dated landlords late lease letter to Stewart Limerick listed loan London Longford Longford town Lord Lynch March Mullaghmore Nolan November Nugent October paid Pakenham Palmerston Papers parish payment Philipstown Ponsonby poor potato reference relief committee reported to Stewart requested road Robertstown Roscommon seems sent September Sherlock Sligo town Smyth Stewart & Kincaid Stewart wrote Stratford Strokestown surrender tenantry tenants townland undertenants Valuation Vincent Walker Westmeath William Wingfield wrote to Kincaid wrote to Stewart