1828.  Formation of Bandon Co. Cork  Brunswick Constitutional Club, Orangemen Chiefly Cotton Weavers, Attack Catholics at the Meeting,  and References to Ibane/Barryroe and Macroom Brunswick Clubs.

Ian d’Alton, has written extensively about this period, the various religious and political tensions in Cork.   The author of Protestant Society and Politics in Cork, he has written extensively on southern Irish Protestantism in its political, social and cultural manifestations.

Doneraile Brunswick Club:

1828. Doneraile, Co. Cork, Brunswick Club.

1834 Bandon Meeting:

1834. Erin Mavourneen-Erin go Bragh, Protestant Meeting in Bandon, Co. Cork.

Many Cork Magistrates appear:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZvT84JCKTIhMqqZjJsF_AUJLH8S820ksObykwOty3wg/edit

Australian Academic covers the topic:

https://www.academia.edu/12538697/_Irish_Conservatives_the_Patriot_Tradition_and_the_Act_of_Union_c._1829-69_in_Niall_%C3%93_Cios%C3%A1in_and_John_Cunningham_eds._Culture_and_Society_in_Ireland_Since_1750_Essays_in_honour_of_Gear%C3%B3id_O_Tuathaigh_Dublin_Lilliput_Press_May_2015_pp._130-144

The backdrop is the heightened tensions political and religious with the advent of Catholic emancipation.  The balance of economic advantage had probably moved to the Catholics.   The landed families had commenced a spiral of decline. However given the emergence of two sectarian states in Ireland in the 20th century the triumph call of the danger to civil and religious liberty can be entirely dismissed.

From Colonel John Townsend’s family history:

http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~townsend/tree/record.php?ref=333

As explained in the ‘Background History’ page, the Act of Union in 1801 and successive reforming measures in the early years of the century drove the Anglo-Irish Protestant community into a position of permanent political minority. Seeking to affirm and uphold the integrity of the ‘Protestant Constitution and State’ they held several meetings during the first three decades of the century. According to newspaper reports of the time certain members of the family attended some or all of these meetings but it is difficult to pinpoint all of them (7a).

The Southern Reporter & Cork Commercial Courier of 23 December 1828 carries a report of a meeting in Bandon on Monday 22 December 1828 for the purpose of forming a Bandon Brunswick Constitutional Club (7b) “in defence of our liberties and the safety of the Glorious Constitution under which we live”. The Meeting was chaired by the Hon William Smith Bernard and ‘John Townsend Esq son of the Recorder of Clonakilty’, ‘Samuel Townsend junior’ and Thomas Somerville are recorded as attending. A copy of the newspaper article is included in John’s ‘Scrapbook’.

At the meeting of the Protestant Conservative Society of Cork held at the Imperial Clarence Rooms, Cork in August 1832, and reported in the Dublin Weekly Mail of 11 August 1832, ‘Samuel Townshend’, ‘Samuel Townsend’ and ‘Thomas Townsend’ were elected to a committee to carry out the resolutions agreed at the meeting “to preserve the remnants of the constitution and maintain the integrity of the United Kingdom”.

The Southern Reporter & Cork Commercial Courier of 11 October 1834 carries a report of the Protestant Meeting in Bandon on Tuesday 7 October. About 5,000 attended and the purpose of the meeting seems to be an affirmation of Protestant superiority; again ‘Samuel Townshend’, ‘Samuel Townsend’ and ‘Thomas Townsend’ are shown in the list of those attending. Included in the article is a very eloquent statement by John in support of the cause but proclaiming “Would to God that we could live on terms of political as well as private and personal friendship with our Roman Catholic countrymen!” (This is included in his ‘Scrapbook’.)

One of the prime movers the Rev. Somers Payne.

Rev. Somers Payne, Pre 1815, Upton, Grand Master Orange Order, Co. Cork.  Bandon Brunswick Constitutional Club 1828, sitting Bantry and Bandon, 1835, Provost of Bandon. Agent to Lord Berehaven since 1820 son Augustus agent to Lord Bantry.  Parliamentary Commission sitting Bantry 1845 showed sympathy for labourers and cottiers.  The Rev. Somers Payne’s mother was sister of John and Henry Shears, Barristers in the City of Cork, who perished on the scaffold for alleged ‘high treason’ at the opening of the present century. 1835 Subscriber Lewis Topographical Dictionary of Ireland  1837. Land record, 1870, 653 acres.  Head of the orange Order in Cork he felt the order would divert the lower orders of Protestant from drunkenness.

Slightly different Version of proceedings:

1845.  Transcription of Various Letters from John Henry Townsend , Ireland’s Oldest Magistrate, Durrus, West Cork,  to Donald McLean Esq, Protector of Aborigines, Taranaki, New Zealand, together with Will, he Died 1912.

His solicitor and executor Francis Fitzmaurice, Dunmanway was one of the West Cork Protestants killed by the IRA in April 1921.

Courtesy Colonel John Townsend, Australia, Historian of Townsend Family.

Richard Townsend, Durrus, 1829-1912, Ireland’s oldest Magistrate and Timothy O’Donovan, Catholic Magistrate from 1818 as were his two brothers Dr. Daniel and Richard, Rev Arminger Sealy, Bandon, Magistrate died Bandon aged 95, 1855

Townsend Will Mccarthy_Allen

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eQW71dmcsmi_6e7gY-Iq0O8JjerhHeGfKgaZ0pLJ9Zw/edit

1791. Meeting at Kings Arms Tavern Cork of Members of Hanover Association (Landlowners/Magistrates) re Whiteboys.

August 1786, 1,500 Whiteboys Assemble in Skibbereen, Co. Cork, at Bridewell and Liberate All Their Companions Imprisoned Therein Further Tiding From west Carbery August 1786 , 800 Whiteboys March on Magistrate, Archdeacon Tisdall, Later under Captain Right (O’Driscoll) Break into Jail With Sledge Hammers, Release prisoners Reinforced from Bantry.

Raparees, Tories, Whiteboys, Anti-Tithers of Muskerry, The Mellifonts, First Boycott, Wife of the Bold Tenant Farmer, his cottage at Ballinascarty and Michael O’Riordan’s (Communist Party of Ireland) tribute to the Keohane Sisters Clonakilty, Co Cork.

Meeting at the Kings Arms Tavern, Cork, on 15th November 1791 of Named (Listed) Gentlemen of the City and County of Cork with Lord Mayor and Sheriffs forming as Hanover Association to Combat Whiteboys

Census 1659 Parish of Durrus, West Cork.

From the Irish Manuscript Commission.  Google Irish Manuscript Commission.  On their home page there is an area for out of print publications now digitalised.  You should see the 1659 census and click the index at the back gives places or maybe just explore Co. Cork.

John Winspeare referred to was on English background in the fishery business.  The Trenwiths later extensive on Beara.  Lieutenant Colonel John Read acquired the forfeit McCarthy Muclagh (Scart later Coolnalong Gearhameen Castle) lands later in possession of Evansons.

 
:

1840.  Registration of Voters at Bantry, West Cork.

Scannell

Galwey

Forsythe:

Of those referred to John h. white was of the Lord Bantry family and may have converted to Catholicism.  The O’Connells may be of the Daniel O’Connell family.  The priests were highly active politically.

Augustus Payne agent to Lord Bantry probably son of Rev. Somers Payne, Orange Order head in Cork, organiser adn fixer in the Conservative interest.

Curious case of Robert Swindells, Methodist Preacher on Hely-Hutchinson, Cork Election List 1783.  Previously 1749 found by the Cork Grand Jury to be ‘a person of ill-fame, a vagabond, and a common disturber of his Majesty’s peace’ along with Charles Wesley and others

Cork Archive  website:

http://www.corkarchives.ie/collections/onlinedigitalarchive/hely-hutchinsoncorkelectorsms1783/