Appointment of Davitt Magistrates June 1893, Co.  Cork.

 

 

Davitt Magistrates 1893

 

Due to the controversy over the issue of ‘The Irish Magistracy’ the British Government decided on action.  In Donegal out of 139 Magistrates 5 were Catholic, Fermanagh, 1 out of 174, Tyrone 6 out of 159, Wicklow 5 out of 104.  Magistrates were appointed due to the influence of Michael Davitt of the Land League and the Irish Parliamentary Party.  Some had a poor reputation for lack of partiality, recruited from ranks of shopkeepers, publicans and farmers. Sir James O’Connor former Appeal Court Judge described them in 1923 as of the shopkeeping class, amenable to influence, sometimes even to partial corruption.

O’Connor described the former jurisdiction as £2 in money matters and with preliminary investigations in criminal matters preparatory to the Assizes and Quarter Sessions.  The Stipendiary Magistrate styled the Resident Magistrate was on a salary of £600-800 per annum.  To put that in context the pay of an RIC constable in 1910 would be roughly £35 a year.

Some on the enclosed list would have been appointed due to Land League/Irish parliamentary party influence.

 

Cork Magistrates:

 

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