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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 July 2016
This handlist of the voters of Maryborough Corporation in 1760 is taken from a notebook which forms part of the Drogheda MSS in the National Library of Ireland. There are three items of interest in the notebook; in the first place, a short diary of events within the borough from 1 March 1738/9 to 29 September 1754; secondly, a rough alphabetical list of the freemen and burgesses of the borough, which was kept up to date by additions and corrections to the year 1759; thirdly, an amended list, brought up to date and dated 1760. It is this last item which is printed here. The notebook apparently found its way into the Drogheda family papers sometime after 1765, when Charles Moore, sixth earl of Drogheda, was appointed governor of Maryborough, an office which had long been vacant; in 1773 he was described as having lately got possession’ of the borough.
1 N.L.I., MS 1726. Ainsworth Report (in typescript), vol. 4, contains a brief description of the Drogheda collection in which the handlist is mentioned on p. 995. I am grateful to the trustees of the National Library of Ireland for permission to print this document.
2 Liber mun. pub. Hib., pt 2, p. 127. He became lord justice with Bowes and Ponsonby a year later.
3 Bodkin, M. (ed.), ‘Notes on the Irish parliament in 1773’, in R.I.A.Proc, xlviii, sect, c, no. 4, p. 210 Google Scholar. The Moore family seat at this date was at Monasterevan, on the border of Kildare and Queen's County. Geographically, therefore, the earl of Drogheda was not far from Maryborough.
3a I rep. comm. mun. corp. Ire., pt I, p. 205.
4 For a general discussion, see McCracken, J. L., ‘Irish parliamentary elections, 1727–68’ in I.H.S., v. 209–30 (Mar. 1947)Google Scholar.
5 The following information largely derives from the diary. For comparable cases in Cavan (1722) and Dunleer (1737) cf. McCracken, I.H.S., v. 223–4.
6 Until 1793 there was no equivalent in the Irish house of commons of the Chiltern Hundreds in England ( Porritt, E. and Porritt, A., The unreformed house of commons, ii. 207 Google Scholar).
7 Dawson was a member for Portarlington 1733–60 and was elected again in 1761, though he chose to sit for the county. There were only 12 burgesses in the borough. In a list of jurors for a case in Queen's County in 1734, William Wall was described as ‘a devotee of Dawsons’ : the comment was made by Pole Cosby, who lost the case and who in 1755 was ranged against the Dawson interest in Maryborough. Cf. ‘Autobiography of Pole Cosby of Stradbally, Queen's County 1703–37‘, in Kildare Arch. Soc. Jn. (1906–8), 314 Google Scholar. Significantly enough Warner Westenra was a member of the same jury.
8 Liber mun. pub. Hib., pt 2, p. 127. For the Westenra family cf. Burke, Peerage under ‘Rossmore’ : for the Dawson family cf. ibid. under ‘Portarlington’ and G.E.C., Peerage, ed. Gibbs, under ‘Carlow’.
8a Autobiography of Pole Cosby of Stradbally, Queen's County 1703–1737‘ in Kildare Arch. Soc. Jn., v. 79. For a short sketch of the history of Ballyfin, cf. ibid., p. 165, n.
9 Gilbert notes this in his diary.
10 He had to give himself a year's grace at least to take advantage of victory in the borough as an act of 1747 (21 Geo. II, c. 10) prevented freeholders of less than a year's standing from voting in parliamentary elections (Stat. Ire., vi (1733–47). 849).
10a Commons’ jn. Ire. (1795 ed.), v. 244 (11 Nov. 1755)Google Scholar.
11 On 1 Nov. 1755 (ibid., p. 244).
12 Ibid., p. 312 (17 Dec. 1755).
12a For a full discussion to the year 1756, cf. McCracken, J. L., ‘The conflict between the Irish administration and parliament, 1753–6’, in I.H.S., iii. 159–79 (Sept. 1942)Google Scholar.
12b Oct. 1753–Jan. 1754.
12c H.M.C, rep. 12, app. x (Charlemont MSS, i. 214).
12d H.M.C, Stopford-Sackville MSS, i. 222. This letter refers to the struggle for the burgomastership, not the by-election itself. It is clear from this that Pigott made a deliberate attempt to seize power, with Wall's death in view
12e Stone to his brother, Andrew Stone, 16 Sept. 1755 (B.M., Add. MS 32859, f. 106).
12f Commons’ jn. Ire., ix. 401–92, 505–73Google Scholar. Maryborough is dismissed in two pages, 586–7.
13 Ibid., vii., 31 (2 Nov. 1761).
14 The election took place on Apr. 24 in the middle of his term of office (ibid.).
15a Ibid. He matriculated at T.C.D. on 9 Mar. 1729/30 and was later B.D. and D.D. He died in 1772. Alumni Dubl., p. 176.
15b Dean Coote's cousin Chidley married Jane, daughter of Sir Ralph Gore. William Gore, who was in turn bishop of Clonfert (1758–62), Elphin (1762–72) and Limerick (1772–84), married Mary, daughter of Chidley Coote of Coote Hall. Cf. Burke, Peerage under ‘Coote’ and ‘Gore’.
15c Commons’ jn. Ire., vii. 31 Google Scholar.
16 Most of the burgesses created by Coote came from Mountrath, cf. Handlist.
17 Cf. Handlist under ‘Westenra’.
17a Presumably John Rochfort of Clogrenane, Co. Carlow, son of Robert Rochfort, former speaker of the Irish house of commons : he was born in 1690 and until 1760 was member for Mullingan Cf. Burke, Landed gentry of Ireland, p. 601. It is possibly however his son John Rochfort, born 1735.
18 He died sometime before 19 Dec. 1763, when a new writ was issued for Banagher. Commons’ jn. Ire., vii. 259 Google Scholar.
19 Ibid., p. 88.
20 Commons’ jn. Ire., vii. 243 Google Scholar.
21 Ibid., p. 264.
21a Stone to Newcastle, 24 Dec. 1751 (B.M., Add. MS 32417, f. 417).
21b Stone to Newcastle, 1 Dec. 1759 (B.M., Add. MS 32899, f. 252).
21c McCracken, J L., ‘The conflict between the Irish administration and parliament, 1753–61,’ in I.H.S., iii. 171 (Sept. 1942)Google Scholar.
21d Stone to Newcastle, 1 Man 1759 (B.M., Add. MS 32888, f. 289); same to same, 9 Apr. 1759 (B.M., Add. MS 32889, f. 421); same to same, 17 Apr 1759 (B.M., Add. MS 32890, f. 116).
21e Cf. McCracken, loc. cit., pp. 163–4, for a description of parties in 1753.
21f Stone to Newcastle, 6 Jan. 1761 (B.M., Add. MS 32917).
21g Liber mun. pub. Hib., pt ii, 49 : Lecky, Ire., ii, 62. But Halifax could not do without the support of the three undertakers, Stone, Shannon and Ponsonby. Cf. the fragment of the Halifax journal preserved in N.L.I., as yet unnumbered. They continued to act as lords justices 1762–3.
22 Bristol, his successor, was appointed in October.
22a Walsh was an officer who had fought at Quebec; cf. Burke, Peerage under ‘Johnson-Walsh’. His family seat was Ballykilcavan, ten miles east of Maryborough and not far from Monasterevan.
22b Sayles, G. O., ‘Contemporary sketches of the members of the Irish Parliament in 1782’, in R.I.A.Proc, lvi, sect, c, no. 3, p. 263 Google Scholar.
22c Liber mun, pub. Hib., pt 3, p. 135. He had evidently decided not to joint Shannon and Ponsonby in their opposition to Townshend. Lecky, Cf., Ire., ii. 108 Google Scholar.
22d Drogheda's control was more effective in another borough of Queen's County, i.e. Ballinakill ( Sayles, , loc. cit., p. 263 Google Scholar). He still controlled this in 1790 (H.M.C., Fortescue (Dropmore) MS, i. 571.
23 I rep, comm. mun, corp. Ire., app., pt i, pp. 204–5.
24 Nephew of the Eyre Coote of 1761.
25 I rep. comm. mun, corp. Ire., app., pt i, p. 205.
26 Ibid., p. 204.
26a For the background to the act, in which the Ponsonbys were concerned, see H.M.C., rep, 12, app. x (Charlemont MSS, i. III). See also Stat. Ire, vi (1733–47). 851–2.
27 The Cassan family were of French descent and had established themselves in Ireland under William : Stephen Cassan married into the Sheffield family which had property in Queen's County. Cf. Burke, Landed gentry Ire. (1912).
28 Cf. Porritt, ii. 227–9.
29 I rep. comm. mun. corp. Ire., app., pt i, p. 205.