1845 Appointment of Rev. William Moore Crosthwaite, Vicar of Kilcoe, to Vicarage of Durrus, His familiarity With The Irish Language Renders This Appointment To this Extensive parish Peculiarly Sensible.
William Moore Crosthwaite Minister, 1842-1854. He was fluent in Irish which was remarked upon at the time as making his suitable for the parish. His family said that his death was brought on by a fever contacted in the famine when he was doing relief work. In London in 1847 seeking to raise funds for relief and wrote to London Times. He attended the opening of the new Church of Ireland Church on Cape Clear in October 1849 when the Vicar, the Rev. Edward Spring preached in Irish. The itinerant preacher Rev. Daniel Foley, accompanied by Rev. Fisher of Altar and Toormore, visited his parish in early 1849. He had a Curate, paid for by the Irish Society in London. It is probable that he was involved as a minor figure in the ‘Second Reformation’ being associated with controversial figures in West Cork and Kerry, Seamus Ó Suilleabháin, the Irish poet employed in the area as a scripture teacher was associated with the Rev Joseph Baylee who ministered in the Rev Nagle’s mission in Achill and later in Liverpool.
Irish speaking, Protestant West Cork with census 1901 for Cork, 19th century
Some other Durrus Ministers:
Ministers Church of Ireland
Cornelius O’Sullivan, Vicar of the Rectory of Kilcrohane under the Abbot of St. Catherine, Waterford, 1591 also Vicar of Kilmoe and Skull.
Thadeus (Teige) McDonnell O’Sullivan Vicar, Durrus, 1615, pay Durrus £6, Kilcrohane £3.
Thomas Barham 1625-1663, Solomon Clarke 1639
Thomas Holmes,1663, Richard Davies 1714-1734
George Lloyd 1736-1737 John Kenney 1737-1751
Thomas Millerd 1751-1756, John Barry 1756-1769
John Kenney 1769-1793, built the present Church in 1792
Edward Herbert Kenney 1793-1799, a Justice of the Peace 28th May 1799. He was later Rector Rosscarbery and his work in organising relief work (in the famine of 1822) and paying the workers in money or meal was praised by the Parish Priest for his ‘meritorious conduct’
Henry Jones 1799-1805
Mason Alcock 1805-1829, non resident being infirm. Native Bandon, died there. His curate Rev Madras of Huguenot ancestry married Miss Evanson daughter of Nathaniel Friendly Cove. Their grand daughter married Daniel O’Connell’s grandson (son of Charles O’Connell Resident Magistrate, Bantry).
Rev Richard Boston Curate, Durrus, married Eliza Evanson daughter of Friendly Cove 17th July 1818, Richard Caulfield’s transcripts of St. Finbarrs 1886
Edward James Alcock 1805-1842, son of Rev. Mason Alcock. May have lived at Sea Lodge, built old rectory (Glebe House) in 1831. 1822 involved in famine relief with Father Quinn. He sat on a committee in Bantry in 1824 to petition against the withdrawal of the bounty on linen production as had been agreed in the Act of Union. Magistrate. Involved in prosylesytisong. His proctors, 1833, attempted to seize Father Quin’s bed while mass was being said in is house to secure tithe payment only the intervention of Protestant neighbours stopped it. Most of the tithes were the property of Nathaniel Evanson so it may be he who sent the proctors otherwise all outstanding tithes collected in one day.
Rev Evanson was an unbeneficed clergyman who lived in the family house at Four Mile Court (Durrus Court) in the 1830s and was friendly with Father John Ryan Parish Priest of Drimoleague. Made a Freeman of Bandon 1826. The name appears as a father in the Catholic birth registers.
William Moore Crosthwaite 1842-1854. He was fluent in Irish which was remarked upon at the time as making his suitable for the parish. His family said that his death was brought on by a fever contacted in the famine when he was doing relief work. In London in 1847 seeking to raise funds for relief and wrote to London Times. He attended the opening of the new Church of Ireland Church on Cape Clear in October 1849 when the Vicar, the Rev. Edward Spring preached in Irish. The itinerant preacher Rev. Daniel Foley, accompanied by Rev. Fisher of Altar and Toormore, visited his parish in early 1849. He had a Curate, paid for by the Irish Society in London. It is probable that he was involved as a minor figure in the ‘Second Reformation’ being associated with controversial figures in West Cork and Kerry, Seamus Ó Suilleabháin, the Irish poet employed in the area as a scripture teacher was associated with the Rev Joseph Baylee who ministered in the Rev Nagle’s mission in Achill and later in Liverpool.
Curate Bell, 5th February 1851, paid for by Irish Society London, had a church for a period in Kilcrohane, withdrawn 1853
James Freke Vicar 1852-1865, Magistrate 1862, attended the wedding of Lord Bandon’s daughter in Bandon 1863. John Harding Cole Curate, 1860. He was an early photographer and was involved in taking photographs at the Bazaar in Lord Bandon’s Castle Bandon in 1865. He attended the funeral of Lord Bantry in July 1868. Addressed a meeting in Durrus Courthouse in 1873 on the need to promote railways and gave the example of Belgium as having an efficient state owned railway system.
1857, price, Curate.ministered at Western End at ‘Ghive?, 40 parishioners and school?
Curate John H. Cole 1859, may be related to Coles of Coolcualghta.
1859 John Kingston, Temporary Curate later he was in Cattistock. Dprset.
John Pratt, 1875-1902, secured a Commissioners of Public Works loan for land improvement in Clashadoo. Grandfather and father clergymen, native of Midleton, family in Burke’s Peerage.
George T. Levis, 1902-1924, a native of Union Hall, BA Trinity 1892, ordained 1893, he married Sarah May Connolly daughter of Rev Quarry Connolly in Macroom in September 1902. He was an athlete and cross country running champion, and brother of the GP Dr Levis. He died in 1945 in retirement in Coachford. His father was a popular landlord and one brother, F J was a solicitor in Cork and Thomas an auctioneer in Bandon. Retired as Canon Levis.
A.A.Wilson, 1924-1928, transferred to Kilmoe. D.P.S. Wilson 1928-1931, previous parish Queenstown resigned and the Bishop directed a board of nomination to be summoned in July 1931. This headed by Archdeacon Flewett appointed Canon McMananaway
T.J. McManaway (Johnny), BA Trinity 1909, MA 1918, served in WW1, Legion of Honour, 1931-1938, his previous parish was Eyrecourt, Galway. Instrumental in establishing the Creamery in Durrus, 1934, later Kilcrohane. He is commemorated in a poem by Charlie Dennis for his work in getting the road from Coomkeen to the North side started. There was surprise when he canvassed the new Fianna Fail government to promote this road. When it was build it enabled farmers on the north side to come to Durrus creamery. He had the National School built, the first new Church of Ireland School at the time since the foundation of the Free State. Theologically he was against ‘mixed marriages’ and preached to this effect. He worked to improve agriculture active in the Show Committee which revived the Agricultural Show and is credited with introducing Golden Wonder potatoes to the district which were called at the time ‘McManaways’ Made a Canon in 1943. He was heavily involved in 1940 in establishing the creamery in Dunmanway.
William Doherty 1938-1947, ordained in 1930 for curacy of St Matthews Belfast, he left for Newtown Cunningham and Burt, Co Donegal. In 1939 he was President of Durrus Show. He sat on the Parish Council from 1940 with Father McSweeney and others. He was fond of helping farmers good at the scythe. E.J.R. Tobias, 1947-1950, his earlier parish was St Finbarrs Cork his father was a Canon in Rathmines. Helped at threshing like Barnabas Deane, Ballycomane 1950 while his wife helped the women catering.
James Pennyfeather, formerly Kilagtree Raphoe, 1950-1952 B.J. Sole 1952-1953, he previously served in the Seychelles and in Addletone, Surrey, after Durrus he went to Castletown Roche.
C. Ralph, 1953-1955, from St Mark’s Armagh.
There were a number of Church of England clergymen in the area in the 1950/60s. One had Blairs Cove rented and had an Indian servant, later the same property was rented by the Rev Burton. After his wife died he remarried and as his wife had been divorced the Bishop of Cork Dr Perdue was precluded by Church of Ireland law for permitting him to celebrate the sacrements. A fellow school mate of his the Rev Carpenter lived in the Kealties area in the same period.
Leonard V. Buckley- Jones, 1955-1973, He was installed after the customary declaration by J.B.Jermyn, Solicitor having previously served in Skibbereen. He was chairman of Muinter na Tíre and writing in the Diocesan magazine in 1961 he mentioned a poor spirit of co-operation in the area as only one parishioner had turned up at the Macra AGM. He was in 1968 the Secretary/Treasurer of the West Cork Protestant Parents Association set up to improve opportunities for local children. He built the new rectory, died in Scotland where his wife was from. She had been a nurse in Bantry Hospital and an uncle of his Rev Welwood died a Minister in Edinburgh in 1968
West Cork History 