landwar

A sad day.

What a sad indictment on capitalism (or absentee landlords, or both).

What amazes me is how long we took to outlaw ground rent. Maybe you should have published more of these pictures sooner. Still, at least we're better than the neighbours, who are only considering outlawing it now.

Oh dear - it is eviction time again. Sad and fascinating at the same time. 1888 according to this Trove find about the landlord, Mr James E. Byrne, "The Hermit of Coolroe", who died in 1898. - trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/211842833

WEXFORD. Death of the " Hermit of Coolroe." — Mr. James E. Byrne, better known as the " Hermit of Coolroe," died on Tuesday, Feb. 22 [1898], at Rosemount, outside New Ross. He was a bachelor, and had attained to nearly 90 years of. age. He was a most remarkable old man, who possessed an extraordinary amount of obstinacy and determination. He inherited the Coolroe Estate in South Wexford, and in the year '88 gained an unenviable notoriety by the wholesale eviction of his tenants, who were driven; by inability to pay exorbitant rents, to adopt the Plan of Campaign. One of the tenants' houses, known as "Somers' Fort," was fortified and defended by twelve armed men, but after a long struggle, and chiefly through the agency of the battering ram, it was taken. All attempts at reconciliation or reinstatement were unavailing so far as the landlord was concerned, and the tenants are still at the back of the ditches.

Full 1888 description - Read All About It ! - trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/226677328 This report includes all the names of the 12 defenders - trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/115458961

2155-61 are eviction pictures from Clongorey, Co. Kildare, which were around 1889, I think. (Terms and conditions apply, time may go backwards as well as forwards etc.)

I imagine that the piles of bricks are to be used to build fireplaces/chimneys - no way to heat a wooden hut like this in those days without a fire. I see four stove pipes sticking through the roof.

Per this MA thesis Seven sets of evictions took place in Clongorey between 16 February 1883 and 1 September 1892

Via the invaluable Trove, 29 August 1891: EVICTIONS ON THE CLONGOREY ESTATE On July 11 the evictions from the huts on the Clongorey estate, which were erected to shelter the evicted tenants on the farm of Mrs. Mary Kelly, were resumed by the sub-Sheriff, accom- panied by a large force of police, under the command of County Inspector Loch. The work of evicting the poor families commenced imme- diately, and concluded in about half on hour, as the people had cleared out almost all their household goods. Father Kinsella, P.P., of Caragh, was also present, as well as a large concourse of people from the surrounding dis- tricfs. Everything passed off quietly.

From the thesis linked above: "An old woman named Kelly had allowed her farm at Clongorey to be used for huts for evicted tenants. She was ordered to remove them and did not."

Clare Library has a lot of info on the evictions including here: The 15th of July was Sunday-and before the weekend large contingents of troops and police were already setting up camp around Kilrush House. There were 70 Sherwood Foresters, 50 3rd Hussars, 50 Royal Berkshires (who were located at Cappagh Barrack), and 120 R.I.C. The whole arrangements were in the hands of Colonel Turner. Also present were a number of magistrates – Captain Welsh, Mr. Hodder, Mr. Roche, Mr. Shannon. The sub-sheriff was Captain Croker. The evictions took place in July, so this photo must be from afterwards if it's from August 1888.

Kilrush House "accidently burned to the ground in 1897". Another photo of this portico via twitter- twitter.com/Cooplafocal/status/966739541385236480/photo/4

If you look in Clare Library to the report of The Wreck of The Edmond 1850 off Kilkee. It also is indicative of the poor construction of the mud cabins as also noted in 1848. Could not get it to link for me.

Not to be confused with Kilrush House in Kilkenny, still standing, unlike this one. Evictions also took place during the Famine years, so they had form here. Some info landedestates.nuigalway.ie/LandedEstates/jsp/estate-show.... on the estate (20,000 acres!) and the Vandeleur family

Via Trove a report of the fire in 1897 - trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/104404854 I have posted these contemporary reports before; they are worth reading for the names of some of the characters seen here, and mention of Kilrush House ... trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/115459777 trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/169707904 And interesting correspondence about re-instating the tenants in 1889 - trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/170505310