Cashel: The Ancient Charters and Governmental Systems - Book of County Tipperary, 1889
About “The Book of County Tipperary,” 1889
George Henry Bassett produced 7 Irish county directories in the 1880s: Antrim, Armagh, Down, Kilkenny, Louth, Tipperary and Wexford. Each provides useful history of the respective counties as well as lists of office holders, farmers, traders, and other residents of the individual cities, towns and villages.
The directories are naturally an invaluable resource for those tracing family history. The Book of County Tipperary is the first of these to be made available on libraryireland.com, with its own search page. However, there are a few points to bear in mind.
- This online version is designed primarily as a genealogical research tool and therefore the numerous advertisements in the original book, many full page, and quite a few illustrated, have been excluded.
- The text has been proofed with due care, but with large bodies of text typographical errors are inevitably bound to occur.
- Be aware that there were often inconsistencies in spelling surnames in the 19th century and also that many forenames are abbreviated in Bassett’s directories.
With respect to the last point, surnames which today begin with the “Mc” prefix, for example, were often formerly spelt as “M‘,”. For a list of some of the more common forename abbreviations used in the directory, see Forename Abbreviations.
To enjoy the rich variety of advertisements, confirm accuracy of the entries, or have a printed record of a family member, obtain an original or facsimile copy of The Book of County Tipperary.
As already stated, Cashel became a borough by favor of Archbishop O’Lonergan in 1216. Fourteen years later Archbishop Maurian made it over to the Provost and burgesses, reserving only the shambles. He also granted free pastures and other privileges. Confirmation of these was made by Richard II., 1378, Archbishop Roland, 1557, and Queen Elizabeth, 1584. Cashel was raised to the dignity of a city by charter of Charles I., in 1637. A second charter by the same monarch, 1639, defined the Governmental system. James II., in a charter granted during his career in Ireland, made a complete change in the existing state of things. Some of the soldiers of William III., wounded at the siege of Limerick, were kindly treated at Cashel in 1690. This fact was brought to the notice of the king while at Golden, and in consideration of the service he sent a letter from there restoring the charter of Charles I. This styles the corporation, as the mayor, aldermen (17 in number), bailiffs, citizens, and commons of Cashel. Under the 25th of Charles II. the elections of mayor, recorder and town clerk were subject to the approval of the Lord Lieutenant and Privy Council. The corporation elected two members to the Irish Parliament until the Union, and one member to the Imperial Parliament, until the borough was disfranchised in 1870.
The corporation was dissolved by Act of Parliament, 1840. In the 15th section of that Act the landed estates and other property of the corporation were vested in twenty-one commissioners elected on the 5th of October of that year under the Act passed in the 9th of George IV., chap. 82. James Heney was the first chairman. By memorial of the rated occupiers the Act of George IV. was superseded in 1855 by the Towns’ Improvement Act. Eighteen commissioners are elected. Six of these go out of office every year and their successors are elected on the 15th of October. The chairman is elected annually in June.