1839, John Windle on Monuments of Gortataggart, Bantry and Kilcrohane, West Cork.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertram_Windle

Gortataggart features in John Spillane’s song:

Christy Moore sings John Spillane’s Gortatagort (Gort an tSagairt), Chief Francis O’Neill, Pilgrimage to Moulivard Church and Irish Sinologist.

John Windle Cork Antiquarian:

https://books.google.ie/books?id=TJJeAAAAcAAJ&dq=consistorial+court+cork&q=bantry#v=onepage&q=bantry&f=false

1749, Sentence of Degradation pronounced By Bishop Jemmet of Cork and Rosss on former Reverend Marmduke Dallas, former Schoolmaster Newmarket and Charleville for Celebrating Marriage without Licence, Testimonials from parishioners.

As the vast majority of the Consistory Court records were lost this is a rare insight into the Ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the court.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FWBV3gRAeVpYqD5Nlq9j4by9xQGww9Y141pT1mZshpA/edit

https://books.google.ie/books?id=exNhAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA30&lpg=PA30&dq=marmduke+dallas+cork+1749&source=bl&ots=zGxJzEOuD9&sig=X6LLI7r4i5BW7Wtno6yjIWGzQWY&hl=ga&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiq4IihkKTLAhUBwBQKHSOMAYoQ6AEILDAG#v=onepage&q=marmduke%20dallas%20cork%201749&f=false

https://books.google.ie/books?id=OhPhAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA192&lpg=PA192&dq=beamish+proctor+cork&source=bl&ots=r7oiuxMMHu&sig=A6Q3HbWCVj6Qx3MkVybXwvXn7QQ&hl=ga&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjirqG1hqTLAhXIxRQKHaNkCLoQ6AEIMzAE#v=onepage&q=beamish%20proctor%20cork&f=false

1850, Cork Consistory (Probate/Matrimonial) Court, Vice-Chancellor (Judge) Venerable Samuel Kyle, Holder of Multiple Benefices and Sinecures, Non Resident in London Registrar, Barrister,  Mr. Henry Stopford Kyle, Work done by Deputy,  All Proctors Protestant, Case of Intestate Alexander McCarthy, Butter Merchant Intestate and the Ursuline Convent.

Te Consistory Court’s jurisdiction probably went back to Norman times.  In Ireland the complication was that the State Church, the Church of Ireland until 1870 represented a minority, the Irish Protestants of the Anglican tradition.  The Court was abolished for civil purposes and probate transferred to an all Ireland institution, the Probate Office in the Four Courts in 1867, where it still operates at Phoenix House.

http://www.courts.ie/offices.nsf/fd1b5d60ef39f31380256e43003d0107/be735bced234bbbc80256e45005861c7?OpenDocument

 All the Consistory  Court records some Wills going back to 1535 were destroyed in the loss of the Public Records Office in 1922.

The Rev Kyle was examined by a Parliamentary enquire and this is reproduced here.

ConsistoryCourtCork1850 (1)

The Rev. Kyle  was clearly at a loss as to how his court, one of the few in Ireland well run, was subject to this line of questioning.  The tectonic plates had shifted, as reflected in the line of questioning.   Enclosed here are details of the personnel of the Court and Dinny Lane’s  (Barrister, Businessman, Jailed United  Irelander) lampoon on the Rev. Kyle:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FWBV3gRAeVpYqD5Nlq9j4by9xQGww9Y141pT1mZshpA/edit

The references to Miss McCarthy and the Ursulines in the enquiry is the case of Alexander McCarthy, an intestate Cork butter merchant.  He died leaving £80,000 probably the equivalent of €100 million nowadays.  Leaving no will, the McCarthy sons, not being happy with their share, commenced an action against  the Ursuline Convent in Blackrock where their sister was a nun.   Their father had given the convent £1,000 as her dowry.   For someone of   social status the norm  was £400 but he also wanted some form of schooling for the poor.  The case went from the Consistory Court all the way to the House of Lords in London.  That Court  finding for the brothers on the ground that Sister McCarthy did not have a legal personality as she was some kind of dupe to the Reverend Mother.  The case caused outrage in Cork in Catholic circles.

Apart from these immediate family issues, it throws up the staggering wealth of the Catholic merchants. In the mid 18th century the provisioning trade to the Colonies and to the British Army and Navy was controlled by the Hoares, Hares (Later Lord Listowel) and various Quaker House of Pike, Beale, Penrose.  By 1800 the bulk of the trade lay with the Catholic Houses of McCarthy, Callaghan, Fagan, Sugrue, Daly and others. They also took advantage of their Continental networks.  The most remote townland in West Cork was involved in this trade of butter, pigs and cattle.   Daniel O’Connell in Parliament gave  evidence in 1828 stated that the bulk of the deposits and shareholdings at the Bank of Ireland was held by Catholics, having ben debarred by the Penal Laws from land.

The Rev Kyle said the all the Proctors were Protestant as well as the Advocates.  However at least two senior Catholic Barristers Joseph Scannell and Francis Walsh appeared regularly.

Cork Lawyers:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1mMDGaZCW9Z6Cq_C_gwm_FB2orzTe2WxR0WcLXjZZO40/edit

Cork election 1837, Durrus Evansons elegible to vote as Non Resident Freemen of Cork.

Charles Evanson is either the Mayor of Cork or his son likely to have been from Gearhameen, Durrus Court.

c p.320

http://www.dippam.ac.uk/eppi/documents/11186/page/150593

Subscribers to 1844 Cork to Bandon and Dublin Cork Railways

Before a railway was commence a scheme had to be pad before the British Parliament in London containing details of the proposed railway including shareholders.  If approved a Bill went through Parliament authorizing land purchase etc. Broadly similar to a present motorway scheme.