Fragments of History – Part 5: Corresponding with the past!

By Liam Byrne.

“History is made with documents. Documents are the imprints left of the thoughts

and the deeds of the men of former times. For nothing can take the place of

documents. No documents, no history.”

Charles Seignobos, Histoire de la civilisation contemporaine (1920)1.

Gearóid O’Brien, Executive Librarian at the Aidan Heavy Library & Archive in

Athlone, a noted historian and author, is fond of enjoining his audience to “write

things down”! “If it isn’t written down” he says, “it never happened”! But what does

he mean? Our current understanding of early Irish social life and culture is entirely

dependent on a small number of extant manuscripts, saved from destruction by chance

and donated to the National Libraries during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

These survivors are only the tip of a mountain of documents and books that existed in

Ireland and formed the libraries of the great Monasteries at Clonmacnoise, Armagh

and elsewhere. We know these libraries existed because the list of holdings of a

number of English Monasteries have survived (though sadly most of the books have

not) and in each case a collection of several thousand volumes, at least, was the norm.

That the Irish Religious Centres had anything less is highly unlikely.

The raiding of the native Irish, the Vikings and the English soon destroyed much of

this historic collection so that today we have only a small number of surviving

documents on which to base our research. It would obviously be better if we had a

larger body of material to study, but in this case, that is not possible.

Fast forward to the twenty-first century! What will our children’s, children’s, children

think of us in 100 years or so? What documentary material will they use to explain

how their ancestors lived their lives? Will they have only a small collection of

material on which to base their research – a few magazines and a worn-out video of

“Home & Away”?

Many people will accept the validity of the statement cited at the head of this essay,

but just agreeing that documents make history is insufficient in itself, for if the

documents we make are lost or destroyed then the history, of which they are such an

important part, is also lost. We must therefore take the issue one step further and save

that written history, so that it can be used by our great-great grandchildren in the

future. This collecting is just as important as “writing things down” and it is the

reason why I collect Roscommon books, documents and ephemera.

Collecting can also be fun! About six months ago I acquired a letter, which was listed

as “1750 EL to Dublin with albino ELPHIN and black FREE, bs M-A/25 medium

Bishop”.2 Not a description to arouse great curiosity, but any material from the

eighteenth century relating to Co. Roscommon is interesting, so when the letter

arrived I was at first surprised that it appeared not to have any signature on it? Further

study however, showed that the name on the letter was simply “Edw: Elphin”. This

was really interesting as the only Edward in Elphin in 1750, who could post his letters

for free, was Edward Synge, the Protestant Bishop of Elphin, who initiated the Elphin

Census (1749), a document used extensively by Roscommon People researching their

family history.

Edward Synge was born in Inishshannon, Co. Cork, in 1691, the eldest son of Edward

Synge, of Inishannon and grandson of Edward Synge of Bridgenorth, Shropshire,

England. After private education in Cork he entered Trinity College, Dublin in 1706

and took his BA in 1709. He became vicar of St. Audoen's in 1719 and St.

Werburgh's in 1727and was Chancellor of St. Patricks Cathedral, Dublin from 1726

to 1730. He was installed as Bishop of Clonfert in 1730, transferred to Cloyne in

1732, to Ferns & Leighlin in 1734 and finally to Elphin in 1740. He married Jane

Curtis, daughter of Robert & Sarah Curtis of Roscrea, Co. Tipperary in 1720. They

had six children but only one, Alicia, survived. His wife died in 1737. While resident

in Elphin he retained his house in Kevin Street, Dublin. He died in 1762 and is buried

in St. Patricks Cathedral.

The letter from Edward Synge, Bishop of Elphin, to Anthony Foster in 1750 and (above) the

Bishops Wax Seal.

Apart from this being a letter from an important man, the correspondence is

interesting in that it mentions a number of local people, who also appear in the Elphin

Census. The Bishop seems to have had a wry sense of humour. He says "I frightened

Hickes horribly about this lease. I said wth

a very grave and angry Countenance that I

never would renew it and bid him tell Burke yt I said so ..." Two persons of the name

Hickes are mentioned in the Elphin Census of 1749 - George Hickes & his wife,

Papists, tenants of the Bishop since 1740 in "Dingowan" and Matthew Hickes, Papist,

a doctor, in "Camoge".3

The letter is dated 23 May 1750 from Elphin to Dublin and addressed to Synge's

Lawyer Anthony Foster (1705 - 1779), who entered Trinity in 1721 and took BA in

1726. A Kings Council, he later became Chief Baron of the Exchequer. He practiced

in King St., St. Stephen's Green, Dublin but this letter is addressed to his home in

Mary Street.

Edward Synge has left a good archive of material for modern scholars to study. His

letters to his daughter Alicia are in Trinity College and his Elphin Census is in the

National Archives. Both have been extensively researched.4 Synge wrote a letter to

his daughter the same day that he wrote this letter to his solicitor. Isn’t it nice that,

after almost 260 years, this letter has finally returned home to Roscommon!

Another interesting letter is from the Earl of Roscommon, though he wasn’t entitled to

use the title at the time he wrote it! The mans name was Michael James Robert Dillon

(1798 -1850) the twelfth and last Earl of Roscommon.

The letter from M. J. R. Dillon dated 1825 and his signature as (Earl of) Roscommon which he

was not entitled to use until 1828.

The Dillon family, originally from Leinster, later resided in South Roscommon and

finally settled in north-west Roscommon and Mayo, were given the title Earl of

Roscommon in 1622. Possibly the most famous of the family was the 4th. Earl,

Wentworth Dillon, who was a noted poet. When Patrick, the 11th. Earl, died in 1816

there was a problem with the succession and it took M. J. R. Dillon over 10 years to

convince the House of Lords that he was entitled to the honour.

In 1823 a Houses of Parliament report was produced concerning the Earl's claim.

Titled "Minutes of Evidence Taken Before [the] Committee for Privileges to Whom

the Petition of the Earl of Roscommon & Baron of Kilkenny West, Claiming a Right

to Vote at the Election of Representative Peers for Ireland, & Also the Counter

Petition of Francis Stephen Dillon of Kye in the County of Roscommon, Esquires

were Referred", it names the rival claim to the title. Francis Stephen Dillon was

unsuccessful in his appeal and in 1828 Michael's claim was approved. The new Earl

had no family however and when he died in 1850 the title finally became extinct.

The Earls of Roscommon were:

James Dillon, 1st Earl (died March 1642).

Robert Dillon, 2nd Earl (died 27 August 1642).

James Dillon, 3rd Earl (c.1605–1649).

Wentworth Dillon, 4th Earl (c.1630–1685).

Carey Dillon, 5th Earl (1627–1689).

Robert Dillon, 6th Earl (died 1715).

Robert Dillon, 7th Earl (died 1721).

James Dillon, 8th Earl (1702–1746).

Robert Dillon, 9th Earl (died 1770).

John Dillon, 10th Earl (died 1782).

Patrick Dillon, 11th Earl (1769–1816).

Michael James Robert Dillon, 12th Earl (1798–1850).

M. J. R. Dillon was the last Earl. He married Charlotte Talbot (born circa 1800) the

daughter of John Joseph Talbot and Susan Harriet Anne Bedingfeld. Charlotte died on

21 November 1843 and on Michael’s death on 15 May 1850 at age 51 the Earldom

finally became extinct.

This interesting letter, illegally signed “Roscommon” was sent to Bernard Collier of

22 Upper Ormond Quay, Dublin. It is dated 14 February 1825, (three years before the

official approval) and was sent from Birmingham in England. The letter is concerned

with attempts to have his right to the title vindicated and mentions various witnesses

and the death of his father. - A very interesting reminder of a very different time in

Co. Roscommon!

Finally for this year, two interesting items that

I need help with? The first is a ticket with the

text “Curraghroe Social. To be held at

Curraghroe Barracks. On Saturday Night 8th

January. Admission 1s”

Admission ticket to Curraghroe Social.

This item was found with some World War II (The Emergency) material relating to

Mullingar, Co. Westmeath. So far as I can determine there is no Curraghroe near

Mullingar, but there is a village of this name on the Ballyleague to Scramoge road

(R371), in the parish of Lisonuffy. The

Barracks was a big house at the Doughill

Road junction. According to the Universal

Calendar the 8th

January fell on a Saturday in

1940 and in 1945. Does anyone know if this

dance was held in Roscommon?

A booklet by “William O’Brien (Shades Of)” (1948).

The second item is a booklet by "William

O'Brien (Shades of)" from Hollywell,

Roscommon, dated 30th. August 1948. The

publication was produced "in response to

numerous requests I publish this booklet" and

consists of a number of "Letters to the Editor

of The Champion" sent during 1947 and 1948.

The letters are titled "Roscommon Land

Agitation", "Roscommon Land Division",

"Roscommon Land Query" "Land Division:

Emigration" & "Land Division Finance: Emigration". The last letter, dated 28 August

1948 mentions the Goodall Estate and lands at Coolteigue and Hollywell and the last

page (of our damaged copy) has "Cloonmurly Farm" as the heading! Does any reader

know anything about this publication or it’s author?

If you can help with these queries or if you have similar material, please contact me

by phone (090) 6489555 or by email (roscommonhistory@eircom.net). If you would

like to see more of this type of material please visit my website at:

http://www.roscommonhistory.ie

Happy 30th

birthday to Roscommon Life (The Roscommon Association Dublin

Yearbook), - “helping to preserve our yesterdays, for our children’s tomorrows”!

Until next year …

Liam Byrne

1 UCD Archives: http://www.ucd.ie/archives

2 Auction Catalogue 7 December 2008. MacDonnell Whyte Ltd. Dublin.

3 "The Census of Elphin - 1749" by Marie Louise Legg. Irish Manuscripts Commission. 2004.

4 "The Census of Elphin - 1749" by Marie Louise Legg. Irish Manuscripts Commission (2004) & "The

Synge Letters. Bishop Edward Synge to His Daughter Alicia, Roscommon to Dublin 1746 - 1752" by

Marie Louise Legg. Irish Manuscripts Commission (1996).