CORK, a city and sea-port and diocese, locally in the
county of CORK, of which it is the capital, and in the province of
MUNSTER 51 miles (S.W. by W.) from Waterford, and 126 (S.W. by S.) from
Dublin; containing 107,007 inhabitants, of which number,
84,000 are in the city and suburbs.
This place, which in extent and importance is the
second city in Ireland, and is distinguished for its fine
harbour, "derived its ancient names Corcach and Corcach-
Bascoin, signifying in the Irish language "a marshy
place," from its ‘situation on the navigable river Lee.
The earliest authentic account of its origin occurs in
Colgan's life of St. Nessan, to whose preceptor, St. Barr
or Finbarr, is attributed the foundation of a cathedral
church, to which, as the abode of that saint, such numbers
of disciples resorted from all parts, that the desert
in which it stood soon became the site of a considerable
city. St. Nessan, according to the annals of the four
masters, died in 551: if this be correct, he could not be
a disciple of St. Finbarr, unless the latter flourished at
a period much earlier than that stated by Sir James
Ware, namely, about the year 630. The original city
was built on a limestone rock, on the margin of the
south branch of the river, and appears to have grown
up around the cathedral and westward as far as the
monastery called Gill Abbey; but what from a very early
period has been more especially regarded as the city
was erected on the island, formed by the Lee, and its
origin is ascribed to the Danes, who, after repeatedly
plundering the old city and its religious establishments
for more than 300 years, settled here in 1020, but did
not long retain possession, being eighteen years afterwards
defeated with great slaughter, and the whole of
their property destroyed by fire. In 1080 the city is
said to have been destroyed by lightning; and eight
years afterwards the Danes of Dublin, Waterford, and
Wicklow united their forces to recover possession of it,
but were defeated by a large body of the natives of
Oneachach, now forming the district of West Carbery.
According to other accounts, Dermot, the son of Foirdhealbhach
O'Brien, in the same year, laid waste and
plundered the town, and carried away the relics of
St. Finbarr.
At the time of the English invasion, the city and the
adjacent country were in the undisturbed possession of
the Danes, who held them under Dermot Mac Carthy
or Mac Carty, prince of Desmond, of which extensive
territory this place was the capital. On the landing of
Hen. II., in 1172, that chieftain was the first to acknowledge
his sovereignty: attending his court on the day
after his arrival, he resigned to the English monarch his
city of Cork, and did him homage, and paid tribute for
the rest of his possessions. The king immediately
appointed an English governor, with a garrison, which
being soon after obliged, from the small number of his
forces, to withdraw, Mac Carty resumed possession;
and the inhabitants, in 1174, fitted out 30 barques, and,
proceeding to Dungarvan, fell with all their force upon
Strongbow's army under Raymond le Gros, who had
been plundering the neighbouring country, and had just
shipped his booty for Wexford; they were, however,
repulsed, and Gilbert their commander was slain. In
1177, Henry granted the surrounding territory to Milo
de Cogan and Robert Fitz-Stephen, with the exception
of the city and adjacent cantreds occupied by the Ostmen,
which he kept in his own possession. In 1185 the
city was besieged by the Irish forces under Mac Carty;
Fitz-Stephen, being closely shut up within the walls,
sent for assistance to Raymond le Gros, then at Wexford,
and that nobleman coming promptly by sea with
a reinforcement of 20 knights and 100 archers, the garrison
made a sally and rotated the Irish at the first onset.
In the folio-wing year Dermot Mac Carty, while holding
a conference with some other Irish chiefs near the city,
was slain by a party of English under Theobald Fitz-
Walter, the founder of the noble house of Ormonde;
but, shortly after, the success which crowned the military
efforts of the native Irish left this the only considerable
place of strength in Munster in the possession of the
English. The city was now surrounded by the troops
of Desmond, and a force detached to its relief was
totally defeated; but from the secret jealousies that
prevailed in the Irish camp, Daniel Mac Carty, one of
the principal chieftains, abandoned the siege, and the
garrison was saved from destruction; The English,
however, being without succour or provisions, cut off
from all intercourse with their countrymen, and perpetually
harassed by their enemies, were in a short time
obliged to capitulate to the Prince of Desmond; but in
a few years they recovered possession of the city, and
strengthened it by the erection of an additional fort,
which kept the men of Desmond in subjection. Shandon
Castle is said to have been built by Philip de Barry,
nephew of Fitz-Stephen; and in 1199, John Despenser,
the first civic magistrate upon record, was made provost
of Cork. From this period a great chasm occurs in the
history of the place, which does not appear to have
experienced any important changes, or to have been
distinguished by any remarkable event, till the death
here, in 1381, of the lord-deputy, Edmund Mortimer,
Earl of March and Ulster, when John Colton, Dean of
St. Patrick's, Dublin, was immediately appointed to that
office. In 1492, Perkin Warbeck, in his assumed character
of Richard duke of York, arrived here from Lisbon,
and was kindly received by the citizens; after a
short stay, he embarked for France, whence he returned
to this city in 1495, and soon after departed for Scotland;
he once more visited this place, and having enlisted
a small force, set sail for Cornwall. After the disastrous
termination of Warbeck's expedition, the mayor
of Cork was hanged for countenancing that impostor;
and in 1498, on account of the disloyalty of the citizens,
the Earl of Kildare placed a strong garrison here, and
compelled the principal inhabitants to swear allegiance
to Hen. VII, and give bonds and pledges for their future
obedience. In 1541, the mayor was one of four commissioners,
appointed in lieu of the Irish brehons or
judges, to hear and determine all controversies among
the natives of this province. In 1568, the lady of Sir
Warham St. Leger, lord-president of Munster, was,
during the absence of her husband, besieged by the
insurgents in the city, but was relieved by the lorddeputy,
Sir Henry Sidney, with 400 men from England;
and in 1575 the lord-deputy again came hither with his
forces, and remained six weeks. During this period
Queen Elizabeth presented Maurice Roche, mayor of
Cork, for his able services against the insurgents, with
a silver collar of the order of St. Simplicius, which is
still preserved by his descendant, Thos. C. Kearney, Esq.,
at Garrettstown.
At the commencement of the great Desmond insurrection,
the city became the head-quarters of the English
forces, and Sir John Perrot arrived with six ships of war
for the protection of the port against the threatened
assault of the Spaniards. In 1598 Sir Thomas Norris,
vice-president of Munster, was obliged to shut himself
up here for security against the insurgents sent from
Ulster by O'Neill; and in 1601 the lord-deputy assembled
at this place the army destined to expel the Spaniards
from Kinsale, which was soon after reinforced
with 2000 men from England. At this period the city
is described by Camden as "of an oval figure surrounded
by walls, environed and intersected by the river,
which is passable only by bridges, and consisting of one
straight street continued by a bridge; it is, however, a
little trading town of great resort, but so beset by rebellious
neighbours as to require as constant watch as if
continually besieged." On the death of Queen Elizabeth,
in 1602, the mayor and corporation refused at first
to proclaim the accession of James; the citizens took
arms, and set guards upon the gates to prevent any
soldiers from entering the town, disarmed the Protestants,
refused to admit Sir Charles Wilmot, who came
with his army to quell the disturbance, and determined
to acknowledge no authority but that of the mayor;
they then proceeded to organize a plan of defence, and,
among other outrages, fired upon Shandon Castle, then
the residence of Lady Carew, and upon the bishop's
palace, where were assembled the commissioners to
whom the government of the province had been entrusted.
The commissioners sent to Halbowling Fort,
in the harbour, for a supply of artillery; but the citizens
manned some boats to take that fort, and, if possible, to
intercept the supply; and though the attempt was frustrated,
several men were killed on both sides; and they
succeeded, after some difficulty, in demolishing the
Queen's Fort, on the south side of the city. On the
11th of May the lord-lieutenant marched with all his
forces into the city, and after condemning some of the
leaders to punishment, and leaving a strong garrison,
proceeded to Limerick, where similar disturbances had
taken place. On this occasion the Queen's Fort was
rebuilt as a citadel, to keep the citizens in subjection;
and further, to prevent a recurrence of these outrages,
the city and liberties were, in 1608, constituted a distinct
and independent county. In 1613, James I., in a letter
to Sir Arthur Chichester, proposed that Cork should be
divided into two counties; but the scheme was opposed
by the Earl of Cork, who had lent the lord-president
Villiers £500 towards repairing the forts of Cork and
Waterford, by which means they were put into a state
of defence. In 1636 the Algerines, who had infested
this coast five years previously, reappeared, and, aided
by the French, spread terror among the inhabitants.
The Earl of Strafford, in a letter dated Sept. 15th
of that year, states that "the Turks still annoy
this coast; they came of late into Cork harbour,
took a boat with eight fishermen, and gave chase
to two others that saved themselves among the
rocks, the townsmen looking on without the power or
means to assist them." In March, 1642, the city was
blockaded by the insurgents under Gen. Barry and Lord
Muskerry; but part of the garrison, making a sally,
pursued a detachment of them to their camp at Rochfortstown,
where, without the loss of a single man, they
killed 200 of the enemy, put their whole army to flight,
and took all their baggage and carriages. In 1644 two
conspiracies to betray the city to the insurgents, at the
head of one of which was the mayor, were discovered
and suppressed. On the approach of Cromwell, in 1649,
the inhabitants embraced the cause of the parliament.
In 1688 a large party of Irish horse and foot, under
Lieut.-Gen. Mac Carty, entered the city at midnight,
disarmed the Protestant inhabitants, plundered the
houses of the most wealthy, and committed similar
excesses in all the neighbouring villages. James II.
arrived here shortly after; and in the autumn of 1689
the Protestant inhabitants were seized and imprisoned
by Lord Clare, the governor, and many of them were
sent to the neighbouring castles of Blarney and Macroom.
In September, 1690, the city was besieged by
the army of Wm. III., under the command of the Earl
of Marlborough and the Duke of Wirtemberg; and on
this occasion, notwithstanding an agreement with the
inhabitants to the contrary, the suburbs were burnt by
the governor Mac Elligott; the fortresses called the
Catt and Shandon Castle were taken without resistance;
and from both these, as well as from a battery near the
Red Abbey, and from the steeple of the cathedral
church, the south fort and the city were assailed. A
breach being made by the cannon at Red Abbey, the
troops advanced to the assault; on which the garrison,
after a siege of five days, surrendered prisoners of war
to the number of 4500, of whom many afterwards made
their escape, and 160 were blown up in the Breda man
of war, then lying in the harbour. In marching to the
assault, the Duke of Grafton, who had entered as a
volunteer in William's army, was killed. The royal
troops took possession of the city on the 29th of September;
and the magistrates, resuming their offices,
proclaimed King William and Queen Mary. The annals
of the city during the period subsequent to the Revolution,
record little deserving of special notice. In 1746,
the militia of Cork consisted of 3000 foot and 200 horse,
together with a well-appointed company of 100 gentlemen,
commanded by Col. H. Cavendish. In 1787 the
city was honoured by the presence of the king, then
Prince William Henry, commander of the ship Pegasus,
which lay at Cove: two years after, a flood, occasioned
by a heavy fall of rain, immediately following a storm
of snow, which had continued for several days, laid the
whole of the streets under water, to the height of five
feet, and in some places of seven; several houses were
washed away, many injured, and immense damage
inflicted on property. The first mail coach arrived in
Cork from Dublin in 1789.
About the commencement of the 17th century the
city consisted of only one principal street, now called
North and South Main-street, and it appears to have
undergone but little extension or improvement till the
reign of Wm. III., when the corporation began to form
new streets and erect public buildings. In 1701 it had
only two entrances, the north, leading from Dublin, and
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the south, from Kinsale; and two bridges, the north
and the south, built of wood, and which, by an act of
the 1st of Geo. I., cap. 19, the corporation were empowered
to rebuild of stone. From the records of the
corporation and a plan of the city it appears that, about
the middle of the last century, a navigable branch of
the river ran down the centre of the South Mall, and
that the ground on which the houses forming the south
side of that street now stand was an island, beyond
which was another small tract called Goose island, now
occupied by Charlotte quay; and for many years subsequently
another branch ran through Patrick-street, up
which vessels sailed at every tide. A map published in
1766 shows that the fields then reached down to the
north branch of the river; and the neighbourhood of
Ballynamocht, to the east of the Dublin road, was under
cultivation. Its rapid advancement may be attributed
to the great capabilities of its almost matchless haven,
which renders it the emporium of commerce for this
part of the country; and the numerous improvements
that have since taken place are fully commensurate
with its increased importance. It is generally regarded
as consisting of the city, the suburbs, and the liberties,
all which constitute the county of the city. One mile
west of the cathedral the river Lee divides into two
branches, insulating a tract about two English miles in
length and half a mile in breadth, on which the ancient
city was built; and uniting again at its eastern extremity,
expands into a noble estuary a mile broad, forming
the commencement of the harbour. But that which is
now considered as the city includes a district stretching
to a considerable distance north and south of these two
branches, in which numerous elegant streets have been
recently formed, and its limits are progressively extending.
The smaller channels which ran through the
streets presented at low water a mass of mud, but being
some years since arched over by the corporation, the
most spacious and elegant streets have been formed
above them. Across the two main branches of the
river, within the city, are nine stone bridges communicating
with the district which, in 1813, was defined for
the purpose of local taxation, under the provisions of
an act of the 53rd of Geo. III., and is marked out by
stones set up in various directions, separating it from
the liberties: this district comprises an area of 2379
statute acres, the whole is generally called "the city,"
and 10,263 houses, of which 8212 are dwelling-houses,
and 2051 are warehouses, stores, and othet buildings.
The general appearance of the city, particularly
since its recent extensive improvements, is picturesque
and cheerful; the principal streets are spacious and
well paved; most of the houses are large and well
built, chiefly of clay-slate fronted with roofing slate,
which gives them a clean though sombre appearance;
others are built of the beautiful grey limestone of the
neighbourhood, and some are faced with cement; those
in the new streets are principally of red brick. The
streets are now made and repaired under the directions
of the commissioners of wide streets, originally constituted
a body corporate by an act of the 5th of Geo. III.,
cap. 24, with extensive powers conferred by that and
subsequent acts; and nearly £6000 is annually expended
in paving, cleansing, and improving them. The
privilege of licensing vehicles of every description plying
for hire within the city is vested in these commissioners,
who have framed a code of by-laws and a table of rates
for regulating them. The city is lighted with gas by the
General United Gas Company of London, who in 1825
contracted with the commissioners of wide streets to
supply the city and suburbs with coal gas for 21 years,
at £3130. 13. 4. per annum: the works are situated on
the south branch of the river, and afford an excellent
supply. The inhabitants are provided with water from
the river Lee, raised by two large water wheels into a
capacious reservoir, and thence distributed by metal
pipes through all the lower parts of the city: it is conveyed
into each house on payment of £2. 2. per annum,
but application is about to be made to parliament for
an act to empower the Company to regulate the rate
according to the value of the houses, as provided by
the English and Scottish acts. The works, situated on
the north side of Wellington bridge, one mile above the
town, were originally constructed by the corporation;
but the undertaking was some years since divided into
100 shares, of which 25 were retained by that body,
and the remainder purchased by private individuals: it
is intended to construct a reservoir on a higher level,
from which the water may be conveyed into every house
in the city. Until the general, establishment of the
constabulary system this city had no regularly constituted
police; but a force consisting of one officer and
80 men was introduced, for whose accommodation the
guard-houses in Tucky-street and Shandon have been
fitted up: there is not yet any public nightly watch,
but private watchmen are appointed.
Of the bridges over the Lee several are modern
and elegant structures. Patrick's bridge, the last over
the northern branch, and to which vessels sail up,
was erected in 1789 from a design by Mr. M. Shannahan,
by a company of shareholders, and was a pay
bridge, with a portcullis, which was removed by the
commissioners of wide streets in 1823: it consists of
three elliptic arches surmounted by an open balustrade,
built entirely of hewn limestone, and connects the noble
line of quays extending on both sides of the river
through the principal part of the city. North bridge,
over the same branch, was built of stone early in the
last century, at the expense of the corporation, on the
site of an ancient wooden bridge, which, with another
of the same kind at the southern extremity of the main
street, formed for ages the only accessible communication
between the town and country: it was thoroughly
repaired and widened by the corporation in 1831, when
two foot-paths of cast iron were formed, and it now
opens a ready communication between the North Mainstreet,
the butter markets, and the populous districts of
Shandon. Wellington bridge, at the western extremity
of the city, near the termination of the Mardyke, and
close to the division of the main channel of the Lee,
is a noble structure of hewn limestone, erected by
Messrs. Pain, from a design by Richard Griffiths, Esq.:
it consists of a centre arch of 50 feet and two side arches
each of 45 feet span, with solid parapets, the piers of
the arches sunk in caissons; and opens a fine communication
with the new western road, near George the
Fourth's bridge, which here crosses the south branch of
the river. This latter bridge is a plain structure of one
arch, built in 1820 entirely of hewn limestone. Midway
between it and the Lee mills is a handsome bridge of
one arch of 50 feet span, which by a raised causeway
leads from the new western road to the county gaol and
house of correction. Clarke's bridge, built by the corporation
in 1726, is an ancient structure of red clayslate,
communicating between Great George's-street and
the cathedral. South bridge, built also by the corporation
a few years previously, on the site of the ancient
wooden bridge, is a neat structure of three segmental
arches of hewn limestone, and has been widened at their
expense by the addition of two foot-paths. Parliament
bridge, a handsome edifice of one lofty arch, with open
parapets, built of hewn limestone, connects the South
Mall with Sullivan's quay, to which vessels of considerable
burden sail up. Anglesey bridge, erected in 1830
by Sir Thos. Deane, from a design by Mr. Griffiths, is a
very handsome structure of hewn limestone, with parapets
of cast iron; and consists of two elliptic arches 44
feet in span, with a rise of eleven feet, having between
them a waterway of 32 feet crossed by two parallel
drawbridges of cast iron, which are raised to admit vessels
above it, and are designed to prevent the confusion
resulting from the numerous cars and other vehicles
which pass over it, by compelling each to keep its proper
side. This bridge, which is the last on the southern
branch of the river, was built at an expense of more than
£9000, defrayed by the commissioners of the new corn
market: it is the thoroughfare to Blackrock, Douglas,
and Passage, and opens an approach from Warren's-place
and the eastern end of the South Mall, on the north, to
the new corn market on the south side of the river.
The scenery around the city is exceedingly beautiful,
particularly on the east, where two lines of road,
called Upper and Lower Glanmire roads, have been formed
along the north bank of the river, one on the elevated
ground and the other close to the strand; and a variety
of new streets, terraces, crescents, and detached villas,
have been erected on the sides and summits of the
gentle acclivities, commanding magnificent views of the
river Lee, the city, Blackrock, and the beautiful and
fertile district bounded by the hills of Carrigaline. The
scenery on the south side of the river, from Anglesey
bridge to Blackrock and Passage, is pleasingly undulating
and diversified; elegant houses, with lawns, gardens,
and plantations sloping to the water's edge, and
commanding delightful views over the noble expanse of
water to the lofty and verdant hills of Rathcoony, have
been built throughout the entire space. The beauty
of the scenery, the mildness and salubrity of the climate,
the abundance and purity of the water, the fertility of
the soil, and the excellence of the markets, have induced
many wealthy families from distant parts to settle here,
who have erected very elegant villas and cottages in fanciful
situations and in every variety of architectural style.
Besides those named under the respective heads of Blackrock,
Douglas, Glanmire, and other places in the vicinity
of the city, the following are worthy of notice; Woodville,
the residence of Gen. Sir Thos. Arbuthenott;
Tivoli House, of J. Morgan, Esq.; Eastview, of J. Leycester,
Esq., a very pretty villa in the cottage style,
commanding a splendid view down the river towards
Passage, and containing many valuable paintings and
other specimens of virtu; Summerhill, of G. Newenham,
Esq.; Belleview, of J. W. Topp, Esq.; Shanakill,
of D. Leahy, Esq.; Silver Spring, of J. Cummins, Esq.;
Hyde Park, of J. S. Murphy, Esq.; Clifton, of N. Mur
phy, Esq.; Wilton, of C. H. Leslie, Esq.; Hyde Park
House, of J. Morrow, Esq.; Temple Ville, of D. Murphy,
Esq.; Carolina, of Mrs. Carroll; Trafalgar, of T. Lyons,
Esq.; Beach Hill, of M. Salmon, Esq.; Vostersberg,
of W. M. Reeves, Esq.; Ballynamote, of J. Chatterton,
Esq.; Woodview, of D. Hamblin, Esq.; Doughcloyne
House, of D. Sarsfield, Esq.; Lehannah, of T. Curtis,
Esq.; Lehannah, of C. Matthews, Esq.; Somerstown, of
J. Swiney, Esq.; Doughcloyne, of J. Simpson, Esq.;
Chetwind, of J. Forrest, Esq.; Strawberry Hill, of W. R.
Westropp, Esq.; Bruin Lodge, of R. Beare, Esq.;
Woodhill, of W. Fitzgibbon, Esq.; Glanmire Rock, of
W. Adams, Esq.; The Castle, of Ald. Gibbings; Cottage,
of Kieffe O'Kieffe, Esq.; Mount Vernon, of E. Ronayne,
Esq.; Castle White, of J. Cope, Esq.; Snugborough, of
T. Nelson, Esq.; and Ardmanning, of W. D. White, Esq.
The entrance from Dublin, by Patrick's bridge, is remarkably
striking and picturesque: the road winds through the
beautiful vale of Glanmire and enters that of the Lee opposite
the castle of Blackrock, where it joins that from Waterford,
Youghal, Midleton, and Cove, and continues westward
beneath the plantations of Lota Beg and the lofty
and fertile hills of Rathcoony, studded with numerous detached
villas commanding the most delightful views of
the noble estuary. The approach from Limerick is by
a new line of road carried through a fine undulating
country; at a short distance from Blackpool it crosses
a pleasant valley by a viaduct supported by six lofty
arches. The entrance from the west and south is by
the new western road parallel with the Mardyke, and
midway between the two main branches of the Lee; it
crosses George the Fourth's bridge, and is one of the
best improvements in or around the city. The approach
from Cove, by way of Passage, is through the village of
Douglas, passing numerous elegant villas and cottages,
and entering the city by Anglesey bridge.
The principal promenade is the Mardyke, a fine raised
walk a mile long, extending through the meadows midway
between two branches of the river, and shaded
by a double row of lofty nourishing elms, from which are
extensive and varied views. The Botanic Garden, for
some time a favourite place of resort, was sold in 1826,
and has been converted, by its proprietor, the Very Rev.
Theobald Matthews, Provincial of the Capuchins or Reformed
Franciscans, into a cemetery laid out in the style
of the Pere la Chaise, at Paris: the graves are distributed
over the greater part amid the shrubs, plants, and
flowers brought hither at a very great expense by the
original proprietors; the ground is intersected by broad
gravel walks, and there are several handsome monuments.
Among these, one of the most remarkable is
that erected over a vault belonging to Messrs. Murphy
and O'Connor: it consists of a sarcophagus of Portland
stone resting on a base of limestone. On the sarcophagus
is the figure of a mourning angel, as large as life, of
white Italian marble, wrought in Rome by Mr. John
Hogan, a native of Cork. At the bottom of the Grand
Parade close to the south, branch of the river, is a handsome
equestrian statue of Geo. II. On a commanding
eminence to the north-east of the city are the barracks
for infantry and cavalry, erected in 1806 by the late
Abraham Hargrave, Esq., and conveniently adapted to
the accommodation of 156 officers and 1994 men, with
stabling for 232 horses; the grounds for parade and
exercise are spacious, and there is an hospital capable
of receiving 120 patients. In the south suburb is also
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a military hospital for about 130 invalids, affording the
advantage of change of air for convalescents, but kept
up by Government principally as a point d'appui to the
surrounding hills; it was by a ball from a battery on
this spot that the Duke of Grafton was killed during
the siege in 1695. In the South Mall is an elegant house
for the county club, built in 1826 by Messrs. Pain, at
an expense of about £4000; the front consists of a rustic
basement, from which rise three engaged columns of
the composite order supporting an entablature and cornice;
on the ground floor are a public dining-room 40 feet
long by 20 wide, a private dining-room of smaller dimensions,
and several apartments for the secretary and
steward; and on the first floor are reading, billiard, and
card rooms, above which are bed-chambers. The club consists
of about 300 members, each of whom pays £5 on
admission and a subscription of £5 per annum; naval
and military officers are admitted on payment of the
annual subscription only. There are also two other clubhouses,
namely, Daly's, in the Grand Parade, and the
Tucky-street club-house, at the corner of that street and
the Grand Parade. The theatre, a well-arranged edifice
erected in 1759 by S. Barry and H. Woodward,
both celebrated actors in their day, is opened annually
for a few months; and balls, concerts, races, and regattas
occasionally take place.
The Cork county and city Horticultural Society,
established under the patronage of the Duchess of
Kent, published its first-report in January 1835, by
which it appears that, during the three first exhibitions,
233 prizes were awarded to successful candidates for the
best specimens of vegetables, fruits, flowers, and herbaceous
plants; and according to the 2nd report published
Jan. 1836, 274 were awarded: the society is liberally supported
by subscription, and promises to be eminently conducive
to the horticultural and agricultural improvement
of the district. An agricultural society was formed in 1836.
The Cork Library Society, in the South Mall, was founded
in 1790, and the library contains a valuable collection
of more than 10,000 volumes in the various departments
of science, art, and general literature; it is managed by
a committee who meet every alternate week for the
selection of books, the admission of members by ballot,
and the transaction of ordinary business. The Cork
Royal Institution was founded in 1803 by subscription
among private gentlemen of the city and county, for
diffusing the knowledge and facilitating the introduction
of all improvements in the arts and manufactures, and
for teaching by lectures the application of science to
the common purposes of life. The obvious usefulness
of such an institution recommended it to the favourable
consideration of Government, and in 1807 the proprietors
obtained a royal charter of incorporation and a parliamentary
grant of £2000 per annum. For several years
lectures were annually given on Natural Philosophy,
Natural History, Chemistry, Mineralogy, Botany, and
other useful branches of Science; but in 1830 the grant
was withdrawn, and the lectures have been since discontinued.
On withholding the grant, Government, presented
to the proprietary the old custom-house, a fine
spacious building in Nelson-place, subject to a rent of
£65 per ann., to which the Crown was previously liable.
There are at present, belonging to the institution,
museums of natural history and mineralogy, a scientific
and medical library containing more than 5000
volumes, philosophical and chemical apparatus, and a
splendid series of casts from the antique. Several
efforts have been made to convert this institution into
a collegiate establishment, which the situation of Cork
in a populous district remote from the metropolis
and surrounded by numerous large towns, and the
opportunities of practical study afforded by its Medical
and Surgical Charitable Institutions and the existence
of a School of Physic and Surgery, render peculiarly
desirable, and would compensate for the loss which the
inhabitants of the city and surrounding districts have
sustained by the withdrawal of the parliamentary grant.
The Cork Scientific and Literary Society was founded
or revived in 1834, after the dissolution of a former
society about ten years previously, and consists of about
90 members and 15 subscribers who pay 10s. per ann.;
the former are required to produce in rotation an essay
at each meeting of the society, which is read on that
evening and discussed at the next meeting, in which
discussions the subscribers are permitted to take part:
the meetings are held in the lecture-room of the Cork
Royal Institution. The meetings of the Cuvierian
society, formed in 1835, are held in the sanle place. The
object of this society is the promotion of a friendly
intercourse among those who wish to cultivate science,
literature, and the fine arts, so as, by personal communication
and occasional courses of lectures, to diffuse
more generally the advantages of intellectual and scientific
pursuits. The Society of Arts was established
about the. year 1815 for the advancement of painting and
sculpture, and was at first liberally encouraged; George
IV., when Prince Regent, presented to the society, in
1820, a very valuable collection of casts from the
antique; the students were numerous, and were instructed
in drawing, and a course of lectures on Anatomy
as connected with the art of design was regularly delivered;
but the funds becoming in a few years insufficient
to defray the expenses, the casts presented by the King
were transferred to the Royal Institution. The society,
however, still exists, and affords patronage and assistance
to youthful genius; Dr. Woodroffe continues to
give lectures on the Anatomy of expression, the Philosophy
of the human body, and on Phrenology. The
Mechanics' Institute was founded in 1824, and has a
library of 1500 volumes, a reading-room, and two schools,
one for instruction in the arts and sciences, and one for
design; there are 210 members, and lectures on scientific
subjects are occasionally delivered. The school of Physic
and Surgery was founded by Dr. Woodroffe in 1811,
and continues to flourish; lectures on Anatomy, Physiology,
the theory and practice of Surgery and Midwifery,
Materia-Medica, practice of Physic and Clinical
Surgery are delivered during the winter half-year: this
School is connected with the South Infirmary and the
Hospital of the House of Industry, and, being duly
recognised by the Royal College of Surgeons in London,
the Apothecaries' Hall, Dublin, and the Army and Navy
Medical Boards, has been of great benefit to medical
students of the south of Ireland. Certificates of attendance
at Dr. Cesar's lectures on Anatomy and Materia-
Medica, delivered at the Royal Institution, are recognised
by the Royal College of Surgeons, London, at
Apothecaries' Hall, by the Army and Navy Boards, the
Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, and
many continental universities.
The trade of Cork, previously to the late war with
France, consisted chiefly in the, exportation of butter
and beef for the supply of the British navy, to the West
Indies, and to the ports of France, Spain, and the Mediterranean;
and of hides and tallow chiefly to England.
At that time the surrounding districts were nearly all
under pasturage and scarcely produced sufficient corn
for the supply of their inhabitants; the lands were
grazed by vast herds of cattle, and the quantity of beef
cured for exportation was perhaps ten times as great as
at present; but from the impetus since given to agriculture,
a considerable portion of the land has been brought
under tillage, and an extensive trade in corn and flour
consequently established. This was one of the first
places in which the interests of trade and commerce were
taken under the protection of the merchants themselves,
who established a committee consisting of fourteen merchants
who export butter, seven butter merchants who
collect it from the various farms, and three tanners,
elected annually by their respective trades: this body,
under the simple designation of the "Committee of
Merchants," is in all respects similar to the Chamber of
Commerce in other parts; it has existed as the accredited
organ of the trading community and been recognised as
such in several local acts since the year 1729, and communicates
with the public authorities on subjects connected
with the trade of Ireland. The butter trade,
which is considered as the most important in the province
of Munster, and is carried on in this city to a
greater extent than in any other part of the united
kingdom, is conducted by two distinct classes of merchants,
of whom the one, called the butter merchants,
purchase the butter from the dairy farmers, or receive it
at the current price for a certain per centage, taking
their chance of a rise or fall in the market; and the
other, called the export merchants, ship it either on
order or on their own account. This trade was formerly
regulated by local acts emanating from the Committee
of Merchants, under whose superintendence the Cork
butter obtained a preference in all foreign markets; and
though by representations to parliament from other
parts of Ireland all restrictions have been removed,
the old regulations are still retained by a compact among
the merchants; and the butter is brought to the same
weigh-house, where, after its quality has been ascertained
by sworn inspectors annually appointed, it is weighed
and the firkins are each branded with the quality and
weight and with the private mark of the inspector.
The weigh-house is capable of receiving 4000 firkins for
examination at one time; and the quantity which passed
through it annually on an average of four years ending
April 30th, 1835, was 263,765 firkins; in the last of
these years it exceeded 279,000 firkins, and the trade is
gradually increasing. The business of the weigh-house
is conducted under the superintendence of a general
weigh-master and a sub-committee of export and butter
merchants, who appoint inspectors, scalesmen, and other
officers. At present there are engaged in this branch of
trade between 60 and 70 merchants: the batter is made
principally in the counties of Cork, Kerry, and Limerick,
particularly Kerry; the best in quality, in proportion to
the quantity, comes from the counties of Cork and
Limerick, especially the latter and the northern part of
the. former, where the dairy farmers are more wealthy,
their farms more extensive, and the quality of the soil
better than in Kerry or the southern part of Cork.
Butter made in Kerry is considered more suitable for
warm climates than that of the same quality made in
Limerick, from the inferior fertility of the soil and the
numerous springs of soft water with which the former
county abounds. The carriers employed in conveying
the butter from the remote dairy districts take back
grocery and other articles of domestic consumption;
and this important branch of trade also furnishes constant
employment to a numerous body of coopers, not
only in the manufacture of firkins, but in what is called
trimming or preparing the article for exportation, that
which is intended for warm climates requiring the cooperage
to be so tight as to exclude the air and confine
the pickle. The corn trade of Cork may now be classed
among the more important branches of its commerce:
the quantity exported annually on an average of four
years ending Dec: 25th, 1835, was 72,654 barrels of
wheat, 126,519 barrels of oats, and 1749 barrels of barley;
and very large quantities of barley and oats are
consumed in the distilleries and breweries of the city.
A new corn-market was built in 1833 by trustees appointed
under an act of the 3rd of Geo. IV., cap. 79: it
is a quadrangular enclosure, 460 feet in length and 330
in breadth, situated beyond the south branch of the
river near Anglesey bridge; the area, which is enclosed
with a high stone wall, is divided into twelve covered
walks for the purchasers and thirteen carriage ways for
unloading the corn, which is protected from rain by the
projecting roofs of the walks; at right angles with these,
and extending the whole breadth of the area, is a covered
space for weighing; and there are appropriate offices for
the collector and the clerks. The expense of its erection,
with that of the bridge leading to it, amounted to
£17,460, of which the government advanced £4615
towards building the bridge, and the commissioners of
parliamentary loans lent £10,000; two individual proprietors
of ground in its vicinity, besides giving the site
rent-free, contributed £2500 towards the building, which,
with the erection of the bridge, is calculated to augment
the value of the residue of their property. The quantity
of agricultural produce brought to the market is rapidly
increasing: in the year ending Aug. 31st, 1835, 83,938
barrels of wheat, 91,743 barrels of barley, 120,597
barrels of oats, and 23,483 carcasses of pork, were
weighed here. The increase of tillage before noticed
naturally diminished the curing of beef, but it greatly
increased that of pork: the provision trade, though
diminished, may yet be regarded as the next in importance
to that of corn: the government contracts for
the navy are still for the greater part executed by the
merchants of Cork, though a large portion of the beef
is frequently supplied from Dublin; and the provisions
for the East India and other trading ships are also
chiefly supplied by them. The curing of hams and
bacon, formerly confined to Belfast and Waterford, has
within the last few years been extensively carried on
both here and at Limerick, the breed of hogs being now
quite as good in the southern as in the northern and
midland counties. The supply of plantation stores for
the West Indian proprietors, which was formerly very
extensive, has much decreased; and the shipments of
provisions to the West Indies as merchandise have
dwindled into insignificance, and will now scarcely
remunerate the adventurer. The provision trade of the
port has also sustained considerable diminution from
throwing open to foreigners the supplies of Newfoundland,
to which colony upwards of 30,000 barrels of pork
were exported annually, chiefly from Cork and Waterford,
besides flour, oatmeal, butter, bacon, candles, leather,
boots and shoes, and other commodities, and
returns were made in fish and oil; this branch of commerce
has been almost entirely usurped by the ports of
Hamburgh, Copenhagen, and the United States, to
which the English schooners previously freighted with
the above cargoes either here or at Waterford now go.
The quantity of provisions sent from this port on an
average of three years ending with 1835 was 16,469
tierces, 19,216 barrels and 5604 half-barrels of beef and
pork, and 23,492 bales of bacon annually. The introduction
of steam navigation has much increased the
exportation of flour to London, Bristol, and Liverpool,
the quantity of flour exported on an average of four
years ending with 1835 was 79,119 sacks annually.
The trade in live stock (chiefly black cattle, sheep, and
pigs), in poultry and eggs, and the produce of the river
fisheries, has also been greatly promoted by the same
means, and is now very extensive. On an average 1200
pigs and half a million of eggs are sent off weekly; and
not only is the salmon of the Blaekwater, the Bride, the
Lee, and the Bandon sent to England by steamers, but
that of the rivers in the most remote parts of Kerry is
sent hither cured in kits for exportation. The salmon
fishery of the Lee has long been celebrated both for the
quantity and quality of the fish, which are in season
during the whole year, and are distinguished for the
superior excellence of their flavour; but the indiscriminate
method of taking them with weirs, traps, and nets
has nearly destroyed the fishery.
The trade with the Mediterranean consists principally
in the importation of bark, valonia, shumac, brimstone,
sweet oil, liquorice, raisins, currants and other fruit,
marble, and various small articles. The importation of
wine is steady and considerable, but not so extensive as
formerly, in consequence of the increased consumption
of home-distilled spirits: the quantity imported on. an
average of three years ending with 1835 was 398 pipes,
74 butts, 701 hogsheads, 517 quarter-casks, and 246 cases
annually. From 5000 to 6000 tons of salt are annually
imported from St. Ubes, exclusively of a large quantity
brought from Liverpool. The trade with St. Petersburgh,
Riga, Archangel, and occasionally with Odessa,
is chiefly in tallow, hemp, flax, linseed, iron, hides,
bristles, and isinglass, but is not very extensive: and as
a considerable portion of the tallow and part of the
hemp comes indirectly through London and Liverpool,
the returns of these articles and others imported in. a
similar manner are necessarily imperfect: the estimated
importations of tallow average about 1580 hogsheads,
and of hemp 400 tons, annually. The Baltic trade in
timber was gradually declining until the practice of
bringing it in through Halifax at the colonial duty of
10s. per load was resorted to. Large quantities of timber
are brought from Canada, the trade with which is
flourishing: the staves and potashes formerly brought
from New York and Baltimore now come mostly from
Quebec, though several cargoes of staves have been recently
imported from the United States via St. John's
(New Brunswick) and Nova Scotia. Flax seed, formerly
imported to a considerable extent direct from
New York, is now brought from the Baltic and Odessa,
and is derived indirectly from England; the quantity of
tobacco that paid duty at the custom-house, on an
average of three years ending with 1835, was 647,000 lb.
annually. The decline of the outward West India trade,
and the facility of procuring supplies from the English
ports by steamers, have considerably diminished the
direct importation of sugar and other articles of West
Indian produce: the quantity of raw sugar annually
imported, on an average of three years ending with
1835, amounted to 3109 hhds., 468 tierces, 596 barrels,
and 5654 bags; and of refined sugar, to 546 hhds. and
486 tierces. The quantity of herrings now imported,
almost exclusively for home consumption, is on an
average of three years 17;904 barrels annually. Vast
quantities were formerly imported from Scotland and
Gottenburgh, and after being repacked here, were
shipped off to the West Indies, being found to keep
good in that climate better than those from any other
port; but the Scots sending for men from Cork soon
learned the peculiar mode of packing them, and the trade
from this port was discontinued. Fish is imported from
Newfoundland, Labrador, and Gaspe in considerable
quantities, amounting on the average to 500 tons annually.
Many of the merchants are of opinion that the deep
sea line fishery on the Nymph Bank, and that in the bay
of Galway, if properly conducted, would not only furnish
a sufficient supply for home consumption, but even a surplus
for exportation. The direct foreign trade of the
port having been very much diminished since the introduction
of steam navigation, the wholesale dealer in
almost every article has been greatly injured; the retailer
can now, without holding stock, ensure a weekly
supply by steam from Liverpool or Bristol, and, both as
regards foreign produce and articles of British growth
or manufacture, has thus become an importer; even if
he could purchase equally as cheap from the Cork merchant,
he prefers announcing his importations in the
daily newspapers, by which his own trade is benefited in
proportion as that of the wholesale dealer is injured.
This diversion of the channel of trade has consequently
caused a depression in the value of large warehouses,
formerly used as stores for merchandise. But notwithstanding
the introduction of steam navigation, the tonnage
of sailing vessels belonging to the port has, within
the last 25 years, greatly increased; and a manifest improvement
has taken place in the principle of their construction.
Formerly the vessels built here were considered
so inferiorthatunderwriters were reluctant to insure
them, and even the Cork merchants preferred shipping
valuable cargoes in others; now the London traders of
the highest class, which are insured at Lloyd's for a
less premium than other vessels, have been built in the
river of Cork. By far the greater portion of the tonnage
is, however, employed in the Canadian timber and
Welsh coal trades, the latter of which was formerly for
the most part carried on in Welsh vessels. The coal
trade is very considerable: a local duty of one shilling
per ton late currency is levied for the support of the
Foundling Hospital on all coal brought into the port,
amounting to about 120,000 tons annually. The number
of registered vessels belonging to the port, in Jan.
1836, was 302, of the aggregate burden of 21,514 tons,
and employing 1684 men: this enumeration includes
vessels trading from Kinsale and Youghal, which are
now registered as belonging to Cork. There are two shipbuilding
yards, each having a patent slip in which vessels
of 500 tons can be hauled up and repaired: vessels
of every size to 400 tons have been built in these yards.
At Passage there are two ship-building yards, one of
them having a very fine dry dock: these establishments
employ about 200 hands. During the year ending Jan.
5th, 1836, 164 British ships of the aggregate, burden of
29,124 tons, and 27 foreign ships of 2912 tons aggregate
burden, employed in the foreign trade, entered inwards j
and 69 British and 20 foreign ships, of the aggregate
burden of 10,098 tons, cleared outwards: in the trade
with Great Britain, 2246 vessels of all kinds, of 226,318
tons aggregate burden, entered inwards, and 1384 of
166,516 tons aggregate, cleared outwards: and in the
intercourse with Irish ports, 406 vessels, of 18,564 tons
aggregate burden, entered inwards; and 596 of 20,384
tons aggregate cleared outwards. The amount of duties
paid at the custom-house for the same year was
£216,446. 1. 7- and of Excise for the same period
£25*2,452. 14. 6½. The superior facilities afforded by
steam navigation have given an extraordinary impulse
to the trade of this port: the agricultural produce of
all the western parts of the country south of Limerick
is brought hither for exportation, in return for which,
groceries, woollen and cotton goods, and other commodities
are received. The completion of the great
Western railway from Bristol to London will tend to a
still further extension of this profitable system of interchange,
by expediting the conveyance of live stock,
provisions, and other Irish produce to London. In 1821,
two steam-boats were employed by a Scottish Company
to trade between Cork and Bristol, but, from drawing
too much water, did not remain on this station more
than six months, after which the boats of the Bristol
Company traded for some time, and in 1825 the St.
George's Company introduced a line of packets between
Cork and Liverpool, and afterwards between Cork and
Bristol, which have been ever since continued, and
have engrossed the entire carrying trade of the port
by steam. The capital of this company amounts to
£300,000, subscribed in shares, of which one-third are
held by Cork proprietors. It now employs seven vessels
of about 500 tons' burden and 250-horse power
each; two of these ply to Bristol, one to Liverpool,
three to London, and one to Dublin: all carry passengers,
goods, and cattle. The company's office, built
on Peurose's quay in 1.832, is a neat building with an
entrance porch, of the Doric order surmounted by a pediment
on four Ionic columns, above which is a sculpture
of St. George and the Dragon. Four smaller
steam-boats ply daily between Cork and Cove. The
American Steam-Packet Compuny's, vessels will touch
here on their way to and from Liverpool. Rail-roads
to Cove, Passage, and Limerick, are in contemplation.
The noble harbour of Cork, which gave rise to the
motto of the city, "Staiio bene fida carinis" is admirably
adapted to all the purposes of the most extended commerce;
and from its convenient situation, the perfect
security with which numerous fleets may winter in a
land-locked basin, and its excellent anchorage at all
times, it became in time of war the rendezvous of large
fleets and convoys, and the port from which the British
navy was supplied with all kinds of provisions cured
and prepared in a superior manner. The number of
small craft on the coast, and of fishing hookers, pilot
boats, lighters, and pleasure yachts in the river; the
dense population of its shores, inured to hardships and
privations, and other considerations, tended to render
Cork in the estimation of British statesmen one of the
most important places in the empire: and the vast expenditure
of public money for supplies during the war;
the detention at Cove, sometimes for months together,
of large fleets of war, and powerful expeditions, with
vast numbers of merchant vessels; the sums laid out
on public works in the harbour, the barracks at Cork,
Ballincollig, and Fermoy, the powder-mills at Ballincollig,
and various other works, for many years gave an
extraordinary impulse to its commercial prosperity.
What is considered more peculiarly the harbour is
situated nine miles below the city, opposite the town of
Cove, where ships of any burden may ride in safety;
the best anchorage for large ships is off Cove fort, now
dismantled and occupied as a naval hospital, where there
are from 5 to 8 fathoms of water; vessels of great
draught can pass up the river as far as Passage, within
five miles and a half of the city, where they discharge
and load by means of lighters; and vessels drawing
only 14 or 15 feet of water can proceed to the town
quays. On the east side of the entrance from the sea
to the harbour is Roche's Tower lighthouse, having ten
lamps which exhibit a steady deep red light towards the
sea, and a bright light towards the harbour. The only
naval dep6t and victualling-yard in Ireland were at
Cove, but the establishment now consists merely of
an agent and two clerks, and is maintained at an
expense of £225 per annum. During the war and for
several years after this was the port station of an admiral
having a large fleet under his command; but the
admiral's flag and the navy have been withdrawn, and
at present, the King's flag is seldom seen on the Irish
coast, except on the Lord-Lieutenant's yacht. On Halbowling
island are the spacious and admirably designed
naval storehouses, tank, and other requisites,
now abandoned; on Spike island are powerful batteries
commanding the entrance of the harbour, and on Rocky
island is the depot for gunpowder. The ballast office,
situated on Lapp's island, was established by act of the
1st of Geo. IV., cap. 52, which also provided for the
regulation of pilots and the improvement of the port
and harbour, by a Board of Harbour Commissioners
consisting of the mayor, two sheriffs, the parliamentary
representatives of the city, five members of the common
council, and 25 merchants, of whom the five senior
members go out annually in rotation. Among the
various improvements made by this board is the line of
quays extending on both sides of the river from the
North bridge on the north channel, round the eastern
extremity of the island, to Parliament bridge on the south,
a distance of one statute mile and a half. From the end
of Penrose's quay a new line extending eastward is now
nearly completed, and the marsh lying between it and
the lower Glanmire road is in course of drainage: when
this is accomplished the main central portion of the city
will be encompassed with a noble line of quays, 18 feet
high and nearly four statute miles in extent, built and
coped with limestone principally from the quarries on
the Little island and Rostellan. From 1827 to 1834
not less than £34,389 was expended on new quays from
the proceeds of the harbour dues. The commissioners
have also made an important improvement by deepening
the bed of the river, which formerly admitted only
vessels of 120 tons, but is now navigable to the quays
for vessels of 250 tons; shoals and dangerous banks
have been removed by a steam-dredging machine, and
buoys laid down to mark the limits of the channel; excellent
regulations have been adopted for the conduct
of the pilots; lights have been placed on the castle of
Blackrock, and various other measures calculated to
promote the prosperity of the port have been carried
into effect. The average receipts of the commissioners,
arising from duties on imports and exports, tonnage
duty, and the sale of ballast, for six years to 1835 inclusive
amounted to £7549. 16. 8., and the expenditure to
£7762. 12. 0. A navigation wall, commencing nearly
opposite to the custom-house and extending about an
Irish mile along the south shore of the river, was commenced
in 1763, to prevent the channel from being
choked with the mud which is washed up at every tide;
and it is in contemplation to reclaim the extensive slab
on the south of it, and render it available to the increase
and improvement of the city. The custom-house, completed
in 1818, and in which also the business of the
excise is transacted, is a plain edifice situated at the
eastern extremity of Lapp's island: the central front is
ornatnented with a pediment, in the tympanum of which
are the royal arms, and connected with it are very extensive
and appropriate buildings; the long room is
spacious and well adapted to the purpose; the commercial
buildings, on the South Mall, were erected in
1813, from a design by Sir Thomas Deane,-by a proprietary
of 129 £100 shareholders incorporated by charter
in the 48th of Geo. III., for the accommodation of merchants,
for which purpose they are much better adapted
than the old exchange: they are fronted with cement,
and ornamented with Ionic columns between the windows;
the coffee-room, on the first floor, in which the
merchants meet, is 60 feet long, 35 feet wide, and 20
feet high, with a coved ceiling chastely embellished, and
is well supplied with the English and Irish newspapers
and periodicals. Communicating with the commercial
buildings, and belonging to the same proprietary, is the
Imperial Clarence hotel, well conducted by Mr.McDowel:
attached to it is a ball-room, 70 feet long and 36 feet
wide, elegantly fitted up, with a refreshment room adjoining,
50, feet long and 36 feet wide; and there are
twelve drawing-rooms for private families, and a commercial
room for travellers, with every accommodation
requisite in a first-rate hotel: all the principal mails
start from it. The chamber of commerce, a neat building
in Patrick-street, was erected by a body of seceders
from the proprietary of the commercial buildings, who,
within the last few years, in consequence of a dispute,
associated under the above designation, but not, as the
name implies, with any reference to the commercial interests
of the port, which are under the superintendence
of the committee of merchants: the large room is well
supplied with newspapers and periodicals, and, like that
of the commercial buildings, is open to naval and military
officers and to all strangers; the lower and other
parts of the building are appropriated to the purposes
of a commercial hotel. The post-office is a small but
convenient building near the centre of the city: its
revenue, in 1835, was £13,022. 4. 11. The first mail
coach that entered the city was established between
Dublin and Cork,. on the 8th of July, 1789: there are
now day and night mails from Dublin, and one from.
Waterford every morning, each carrying the English
letters, but letters from London come through Dublin,
unless ordered via Waterford; and there are several
other mail-coaches from Limerick, Bantry, Tralee, and
other places, which arrive in the evening before the departure
of the Dublin night mail.
The manufactures of the town, though in some
branches rather extensive, are generally of little importance
compared with its commerce. Formerly Blackpool,
a large and populous portion of the suburbs, was
principally inhabited by persons engaged in the manufacture
of coarse woollens, linens, cottons, thread camlets,
stuffs, woollen yarn, and hats, and in wool-combing,
dyeing, and other similar occupations; but in 1812, the
protecting duty of.10 per cent, on British manufactures,
which fostered those of Ireland, being removed, vast
numbers were thrown out of employment, who, having
in vain remonstrated and petitioned for a more gradual
alteration of the system, were ultimately compelled to
seek employment in England. The principal branch
of manufacture now carried on is the tanning of leather,
which article was formerly imported from London and
Bristol, but since the assimilation of the duties has
become a great source of export; there are 46 tanyards
in various parts of the suburbs, of which 25 are very
extensive; and in 1835 there were 615 tanners and curriers
in constant employment. The average number of
hides tanned annually is about 110,000, of which the
greater portion were till lately purchased in Liverpool
and London, but in 1835, a new branch of commerce
was opened by the importation of hides direct from
Montevideo and Gibraltar: the number of native hides
annually weighed at the crane, on an average of three,
years ending April 30th, 1835, was 32,068, and of calf
skins, 73,416; and the quantity of leather exported on
an average of five years ending with 1835 was 5624
bales and 214 crates annually. The quantity of bark
imported from foreign countries and from England and
Wales for the use of the tanneries, from 1830 to 1835
inclusive, amounted on an average to 6948 tons annually,
and of valonia from Smyrna, to more than 2000
tons annually. The encouragement afforded to tillage and
the increased production of corn, to supply the demand
during the late continental war, gave rise to the establishment
of corn-mills, breweries, and distilleries on a
large scale, of which the first-named are numerous in
the vicinity; the largest breweries are those of Messrs.
Beamish and Crawford, and Messrs. Lane; the former
is exclusively confined to the manufacture of porter.
These breweries employ a great number of hands, and
conduce much to the improvement of agriculture. There
are seven distilleries in the city and its vicinity; those
in the former produce annually 1,400,000 gallons of
whiskey, and in the latter, 600,000; the whole consume
268,000 barrels of corn, and employ about 1000 men:
the quantity of whiskey shipped at the port in 1835 was
1279 puncheons. There are seven iron-foundries, affording
employment to upwards of 300 workmen; and five
manufactories in which spades, shovels, &c., are made, also
two manufactories of steel, and an extensive establishment
for coppersmith's work chiefly for the distilleries
and breweries. The quantity of iron imported annually
is upwards of 6000 tons; and in the various departments
of the iron trade within the city and liberties,
including smithies, nearly 1000 men are employed. The
paper-mills are numerous and extensive, and their produce
is in great demand: the number of persons employed
exceeds 400. In the city are two large glasshouses
for the manufacture of flint glass for the home
and foreign markets, with extensive premises for cutting,
engraving, &c, attached to each, affording employment
to 246 persons. The manufacture of woollen, cloth was
introduced prior to 1732, and flourished for many years:
the principal manufacturers were Messrs. Lane, who for
more than twenty years after the union furnished the
entire clothing for the Irish army; their mills were
situated at Riverstown, but are now applied to other
purposes. At Glanmire are the extensive mills of
Messrs. Lyons and Hanly, for the manufacture of fine
cloth; and at Blarney are mills for spinning yarn for
the supply of Mr. Mahony's stuff and camlet manufactory
in Cork. There are still a few wool-combing and
dyeing establishments, besides mills at Douglas and
Glanmire, where linens and cottons are bleached and
finished, and several rope-walks established for the manufacture
of patent cordage. Many of the poor are
employed in weaving coarse cotton checks, which are sold at a
very low price by Messrs. Todd and Co., who
have a very large establishment on the plan of those in
London, furnished with goods of every kind. Cutlery
of superior quality is extensively manufactured, and
bears a higher price than that brought from England.
The trade in gloves is very flourishing, and employs a
great number of people; those made here are always
sold as Limerick gloves. Acids, mineral waters, and
vinegar of superior quality are also extensively made.
The manufacture of canvas was formerly extensive, but
is now declining, the article being imported cheaper
from Liverpool, Glasgow, Greenock, and East Cocker.
The soap manufacture has been much diminished by
the increase of tillage and the decrease in the slaughtering
of cattle; and the manufacture of candles, with which
this place once almost exclusively supplied the West In
dian market, in which it still enjoys a preference, has been
affected by the same cause. The Bank of Ireland and
the Provincial Bank, about the year 1825, opened branch
establishments here, which have afforded liberal accommodation
to trade; and two new joint stock companies,
the National, and the Agricultural and Commercial,
have since established branch banks in the city. The
savings' bank is a large and handsome edifice; the deposits,
at the close of 1836, exceeded £240,000: it
was established in 1817, from which period to the end
of 1836, the number of depositors was 24,000, of
whom 7066 are now on the books. The principal
market days are Wednesday and Saturday but all the
markets are open daily. Fairs under the charter are
held on Trinity-Monday and Oct. 1st, in an open area
called Fair-field, half a mile to the north-west of the
town. The city market, for meat, fish, poultry, fresh
butter, vegetables,. and fruit, was opened in 1788:
it is conveniently situated near the centre of the city,
with spacious entrances from Patrick-street, Prince'sstreet,
and the Grand Parade, and comprises several
detached buildings suitably arranged; it is divided into
separate departments, and is abundantly supplied daily
with every kind of provisions. The cattle market is
held near the Shandon markets: the number of horned
cattle annually sold here for the provision merchants
formerly exceeded 50,000, but the average of three
years ending Dec. 25th, 1835, was less than 6000 an
-nually: the number of pigs sold alive in this market
to the provision merchants is on an average 90,000 annually,
exclusively of the carcases sold in the new corn
market.
The corporation is very ancient, and exists probably
by prescription. A charter was granted by John,
Earl of Morton, while viceroy of Ireland, in the reign
of his father Hen. II., in the preamble of which it
is stated-"I have granted and given, and by this my
charter confirm, to the citizens of Cork all the fields
held of my city of Cork and the ground on which the
city is, now for my benefit to increase the strength
of the citizens. This is to them and their heirs to
hold of me and my heirs, and to remain in frank
burgage, by such custom and rent as the burgesses of
Bristol, in England pay yearly for their burgages; and
to secure my city of Cork I grant this to the same my
citizens of Cork all the laws, franchises, and customs or
freight which are in Bristol on whatsoever sails. And
firmly commanding that the aforesaid my citizens of
Cork and their heirs and their successors have the
aforesaid city of Cork of me and my successors as is
aforesaid, and have all the laws and franchises and
frank customs of Bristol; and as those were wont to
be used and written in my court and in my hundred of
Cork, and in all business. And I forbid that any wrong
or hindrance be given to the aforesaid laws and franchises,
which gift from us are given and granted, &c."
A copy of this charter is preserved amongst the Harleian
MSS. in the British Museum, but the original is lost.
The earliest charter extant is one of the 26th of Hen. III.,
which granted the city and its appurtenances in fee
farm at an annual rent of 80 marks, with prisage of
wine, custom, and cocket within the jurisdiction of the
port, and certain personal privileges to the citizens,
among which was an exemption from toll and all other
customs throughout his dominions: under this charter
the chief officer of the corporation was called "provost."
Edw. I. granted two charters, in the 19th and 31st of
his reign, the latter of which authorised the bailiffs and
men of Cork to have murage, as in other towns in Ireland,
for six years. The charter of the 11th of Edw.
II. is the first in which the office of mayor is named:
the same monarch, in the following year, confirmed the
charter of the 19th of Edw. I., and gave to the mayor
elect the privilege of being sworn before his predecessor
in office, instead of going to Dublin to take the oaths
before the barons of the exchequer; charters were
also granted in the 4th and 5th of Edw. III., 5th of
Rich. II., and 2nd of Edw. IV., the last of which, after
reciting that the mayor and commonalty had eleven
parish churches within the city, with suburbs extending
one mile in every direction, that had been for 50 years
preceding destroyed by Irish enemies and English rebels,
on which account they were unable to pay the fee farm
rent, remitted all arrears, and granted them the cocket
of the city for the construction of the walls, to be held
until they should be able to travel peaceably one mile
beyond them. In the 15th of Edw. IV. all former
charters were confirmed, and the mayor and citizens
were allowed to enjoy all their franchises both within
the city and suburbs and through the entire port, "as
far as the shore, point, or strand called Rewvawne, on
the western part of the said port, and as far as to the
shore, point, or strand of the sea, called Benpwdran, on
the eastern part of the same port, and so far as the
castle of Carrigrohan, on the western side of the said
city, and in all towns, pills, creeks, burgs, and strands
in and to which the sea ebbs and flows in length, and
breadth within the aforesaid two points, called Rewrawne
and Benowdran:" it then releases during pleasure all
arrears of the rent of 80 marks, and grants that the
corporation,, in lieu thereof, shall in future render at
the exchequer 20lb, of wax. Hen. VII. granted a charter
of inspeximus; ajid Hen. VIII., in the 1st of his reign,
gave a confirmatory charter, and in the 28th another,
which also conferred; upon the mayor the privilege of
having a sword, carried before him, the sword-bearer to
wear "a remarkable cap" (which ceremony is still observed),
and granted him the custody of the castle.
Edw. VI., in the 3rd of his reign, granted a charter of
confirmation; and in the 18th of Eljz. the mayor, recorder,
and bailiffs, and the four senior aldermen who
had served the office of mayor, were constituted keepers
of the peace within the city both by land and by water;
and they, or three of them, of whom the mayor and
recorder were to be two, were appointed justices of oyer
and terminer and general gaol delivery, with power to
enquire into all felonies, trespasses,&c., within the city
and liberties', this charter also contained a grant to the
corporation of all fines and amercements. The charter
of the 6th of Jas. I., after granting that Cork should
be a free city, and changing the style of the corporation
to that of mayor, sheriffs, and commonalty, with power
to make by-laws for the regulation of the municipality,
constituted the city and a surrounding district to be
marked out by commissioners a distinct county, over
which the powers of the justices of the peace for the
city were extended, and released the corporation from
their annual payment of 20lb. of wax: this charter also
granted permission to hold two fairs with all tolls, &c,
and created a corporation of the staple with privileges
equal to those of London or Dublin. In the 7th of
Chas. I. a confirmatory charter was granted, which,
after declaring that justices of the county of Cork
should have no jurisdiction within the city, further
directs that each mayor, on retiring from office, shall
be an alderman, and that all the aldermen shall be
members of the common council, provided the number
do not exceed 24: it also empowers the corporation to
elect a town-clerk, clerk of the Crown, and public
notary; and likewise six aldermen of the ward, who
should have power to determine all causes not exceeding
40s. arising within their respective wards. By the
charter granted in the 9th of Geo. II. all the aldermen,
immediately on retiring from the office of mayor, were
made justices of the peace within the county of the
city: the same monarch, in the 21st of his reign, granted
another charter, which is the last given to the corporation,
authorising them to hold two fairs annually at a
place called the Lough, within the liberties, and to take
the usual tolls. Under the authority of these charters a
series of by-laws passed in 1721, for electing the officers
and otherwise regulating the affairs of the corporation,
the different classes in which are the mayor, sheriffs,
aldermen, burgesses, and commonalty or freemen. The
mayor is. chosen on the first Monday in July, nominally
by a majority of the freemen, according to a form expressed
in one of the by-laws, from among the resident
burgesses or persons who have served the office of sheriff,
of whom five, whose names have been drawn from, a
hat containing the names of all entitled to be elected,
are put in nomination; but this right of the freemen
to choose the mayor is rendered almost nugatory by an
association called the "Friendly Club," consisting of
about 500 of the freemen, of whom more than 300 are
resident, by one of whose rules the members are bound
to vote for one of the two senior burgesses of the five
whose; names are drawn, The sheriffs are elected on the
same day as the mayor, by and from the freemen; but
the interposition of the Friendly Club operates in like
manner as in the election of mayor. The aldermen are
such members of the corporation as have served the
office of mayor, and are unlimited in number; six of
them, elected by the freemen at large in a court of
D'Oyer hundred held for the purpose on a vacancy
occurring, are called "Aldermen of the Ward." The
burgesses are those who have served the office of sheriff,
and are also unlimited in number; and the common
council is composed of the mayor, recorder, two sheriffs,
and aldermen, not exceeding in all 24, and should they
not amount to that number, the deficiency is made up
by election from among the burgesses. All by-laws, and
orders for the payment of money, letting and disposing
of the corporate property, and the admission of freemen,
must originate in the common council, and are
afterwards confirmed in the court of D'Oyer hundred.
Besides the recorder, the assistant officers of the corporation
are a common speaker (who represents the
commonalty and attends the meetings of the council,
where he is permitted to sit and hear the deliberations,
but has no vote), town-clerk, chamberlain, clerks of the
Crown, peace, and council, a water and deputy water
bailiffs, sword-bearer, two serjeants-at mace, assaymaster,
weighmasters, two coroners, and other inferior
officers; the principal of these are elected by the freemen
at large, in a court of D'Oyer hundred. The appointment
of the mayor, sheriffs, recorder, and townclerk
is subject to the approbation of the lord-lieutenant
and privy council. The freedom is inherited by the
first-born sons of freemen, and obtained by apprenticeship
of seven years to a freeman and by grace especial
of the common council, subject, in the last case, to the
approval of the court of D'Oyer hundred, except as
regards persons of distinction who may happen to be in
the city, and to whom, the council think fit to present
the freedom. The city first sent members to the Irish
parliament in 1374,. but representatives who appear to
have served in London were chosen previously. The
right of election was vested in the freemen of the city,
and in the 40s. freeholders and £50 leaseholders of the
county of the city, of whom the freemen, in 1831,
amounted in number to 2331, and the freeholders to
1545, making a total of 3876; but by the act of the
2nd of Wm. IV., cap. 88 (under which the city, from
its distinguished importance, retains its privilege of
returning two representatives to the Imperial parliament,
and the limits of the franchise, comprising the entire
county of the city, remain unaltered), the non-resident
freemen, except within seven miles, have been disfranchised,
and the privilege of voting at elections has been
extended to the £10 householders, and the £20 and £10
leaseholders for the respective terms of 14 and 20 years.
The number of voters registered up to Jan. 2nd, 1836,
amounted to 4791, of whom 1065 were freemen; 2727
£10 householders; 105 £50, 152 £20, and 608 fortyshilling
freeholders; 3 £50,7 £20, and 2 £10 rentchargers;
and 1 £50,26 £20, and 95 £10 leaseholders:
the sheriffs are the returning officers. The mayor, recorder,
and all the aldermen are justices of the peace
for the county of the city; and the mayor is also a
judge of assize, justice of the peace for the county at
large, a judge of the courts of record and conscience,
and president of the council and of the court of D'Oyer
hundred. Under the new Police bill, there are a chief
constable, a head constable, 11 constables and 62 subconstables.
The courts of the corporation are the
mayor and sheriffs' court, the courts of city sessions
and conscience, and the police office or magistrates'
court. The mayor and sheriffs' court, held weekly, has
jurisdiction in all personal and mixed actions, except
replevin and ejectment, in pleas to any amount; and is
a court of record, in which the pleadings are similar to
those of the superior courts. Suits may be commenced
either by serviceable writ, bailable writ, or attachment
against goods, in which last mode the debt sought to be
recovered must amount to at least 40s. Irish. The
mayor and sheriffs originally presided as judges; but
by the 11th and 12th of Geo. III., cap. 18, the recorder,
or his deputy, being a barrister of three years' standing,
was made judge, and authorised to sit alone; in his
absence the mayor and one of the sheriffs are necessary
to constitute a court. The city sessions court is held
quarterly before the justices, but by the act above
noticed the recorder is empowered to hold the court
alone, and in general is the only judge presiding; a
grand jury is returned by the sheriff to serve for the
entire quarter, and the court sits weekly by adjournment.
The number of prisoners tried at these sessions
in 1835 was 401, of whom 110 were for felonies and
291 for misdemeanours. The court of conscience was
constituted by act of the 3rd of Geo. IV., cap. 85, for
the recovery of debts not exceeding 40s. arising within
the county of the city: the act appoints the mayor and
aldermen of the ward judges, not less than three of them
to be sufficient to hold the court. The police-office, or
magistrates' court, adjoins the court of conscience, and
was constituted by the same act. The revenue of the
corporation, exclusively of the expense of collecting the
tolls, amounts to about £6237 per annum, arising from
various sources.
The city is within the Munster circuit: the assizes
for the county at large are held here, and, at the same
time, those for the county of the city. It is also one
of the places at which, in September, the assistant
barrister holds his courts for the East Riding. The
present city court-house, or guildhall, is situated on the
south side of the exchange, and contains on the first
floor a council-chamber, in which the mayor and council
assemble to transact business and hold the courts of
D'Oyer hundred. The exchange, situated at the angle
of Castle-street and the north Main-street, a small
regular structure of hewn stone, erected by Twiss
Jones in 1709, at the expense of the corporation,
has been taken down, and is to be re-erected in front
of the market on the Grand Parade. The old county
court-house, anciently called "the King's Castle,"
being too small and inconvenient, a county and city
court-house was erected in 1835 by Messrs. Pain: it
is a large and handsome edifice, in the Grecian style
of architecture, with a boldly projecting portico of
eight columns supporting an entablature and cornice
surmounted by a pediment, on the apex of which is a
group of figures representing Justice between Law and
Mercy: the interior contains two semicircular courts,
and the various offices in the back part of the building
are so arranged as to afford the public and the officers
facility of access without collision; the judges and
barristers can go from one court to the other by private
passages; and the entire building, which was erected
at an expense of about £20,000, reflects equal credit on.
the taste and judgment of the architects. The mansionhouse,
beautifully situated on the bank of the river, near
the entrance to the Mardyke Walk, is a large and handsome
edifice, built in 1767 by the celebrated Ducart; at
an expense of £3793. The entrance-hall and staircase are
spacious; on the first landing-place is a well-sculptured,
bust of George IV., and in a niche in the first lobby is a
full-length marble effigy of the first Rt. Hon. Wm. Pitt, in
his robes of office and holding a scroll in his right hand,
placed there in 1766. The dining and drawing-rooms
are large and fitted up in a costly manner: in the former
is a full length figure of Wm. III. in armour, with a
scroll in the right hand and the head encircled by a
wreath of laurel, standing on a pedestal bearing an inscription
recording its erection by the corporation and
citizens in 1759. In. the entrance-hall are the ancient
"nail" or "nail head" of the city, and the ancient
standard brass yard; also a curious representation of the
city arms cut in stone, which was found some years since
on taking down the old custom-house. The city gaol is a
castellated building, situated on an eminence near Sunday-
well. It was at first divided into two equal compartments,
one for males and the other for females; but
the original arrangement has been altered, and the prison
is now divided into 32 wards, 8 for male and 1 for female
debtors, 9 for male and 8 for female culprits; the
remaining 6 are hospital wards. There are 54 cells,
affording accommodation for 162 male culprits; and 48
for females, accommodating 96. Each ward has a day
room and airing-yard, and in one of these is a treadmill
used to raise water for the supply of the prison. Separate
places of worship are fitted up for Protestants and
Roman Catholics: the number of prisoners committed,
in 1835, wns 263 male and 153 female criminals; 245
male and 99 female misdemeanants; 29 soldiers; 314
male and 31 female debtors, making a total of 851 males
and 283 females. The expenditure for that year was
£2557. 3. 6. The city bridewell is for the temporary
confinement of prisoners under examination before final
committal, and of disorderly persons taken up in the
night until brought before the magistrates; eight cells
with fire-places in each were recently added to it for
solitary confinement. The gaol and house of correction.
for the. county are situated at a short distance from the
town on the south side of the new western road. The
entrance was originally from the south; but the new
approach to the city, between the north and south
branches of the river, afforded the architects an opportunity
of forming an entrance on the north side, for
which purpose a bridge of one arch was built over the
south channel communicating with a causeway raised
about six feet across the adjacent meadows. Along the
north side of the prison is an esplanade, about 40 feet
3 H 2
broad, in the centre of which., and directly opposite
to the bridge is an entrance portico of four Doric
columns surmounted by a pediment; the design is taken
from the Temple of Bacchus, at Athens. The gaol has
been enlarged at different periods, and is now very commodious
and well-arranged. It is under the direction
of a governor and deputy-governor; and is divided into
8 wards, 2 for male debtors, 5 for male offenders, and
1 for females of every description, which is subdivided
into three sections appropriated respectively to debtors,
untried and convicts. The male wards contain 95 cells,
capable of accommodating 425 inmates; that of the
females has accommodations for 66; each ward has a
day-room and a spacious airing-yard: there are four
solitary cells. The gaol and the surrounding extensive
enclosed ground are kept in the highest order j the
prisoners, who on their admission are clothed in a distinguishing
prison dress, are fully occupied either on
the tread-wheel or in the dtities of whitewashing and
cleansing the floors, yards, and passages. The number
of prisoners committed in 1835 was 978, of whom
740, including 203 females, were charged with criminal
offences; 200, of whom 12 were females, were
debtors; 20 were soldiers, and 18, of whom one was
a female, were committed under process of the exchequer.
‘ The House of Correction, built by Messrs.
Pain on the north side of the gaol, is a well-arranged
edifice, consisting of a centre and two detached wings
towards the gaol, and of three other ranges of building,
radiating from the centre northward. The centre contains
the governors apartments on the ground floor, a
chapel both for Protestants and Roman Catholics on the
second, and an infirmary on the third. The radiating
buildings contain 78 cells, with washing-rooms in each
range; on the ground floor are day and work rooms,
having airing-yards attached to them. The number of
convicts committed, in 1835, was 567. The prison is
under the management of a governor. The classification
and regulations, both of the gaol and house of correction,
are highly conducive to the reformation of the
prisoners. Those in the latter establishment are employed
in manufacturing their own clothing and other
necessary articles of consumption: attached to it is a
tread-mill, used for supplying both prisons with water.
A sum of £1600 was presented by the Grand Jury,
at the last autumn assizes, for an hospital for the use of
the prisoners, to be erected on the adjoining ground:
it is to extend 100 feet in front, the centre to be
two stories high, with wings; the interior is to be
divided into six wards, three for each sex. The
Female Penitentiary or Convict Depot, occupies the
site of the old fort erected in the southern suburb,
in the reign of Elizabeth. It is capable of containing
250 inmates, who are brought hither from all parts of
Ireland., and remain until the arrival of vessels to convey
them to their final place of destination. During
their residence here they are employed in needle-work,
washing and knitting, so as to supply not only themselves
but all the convicts sent out of Ireland with clothing:
the number of suits thus made annually is about
1000. The number committed to this prison, in 1835,
was 457, of whom 315 were transported to New South
Wales. Schools have been established in all the prisons.
The hulk is no longer used as a place of confinement.
The foundation of the
SEE of CORK is generally
ascribed to St. Barr or Finbarr,
in the early part of the
7th century: his relics, which
were enclosed in a silver
shrine, were carried away
from the cathedral, in 1089,
by Dermot, the son of Turlough
O'Brian, when he pillaged
Cork. St. Finbarr is
said to have been succeeded
by St. Nessan. In 1292,
Bishop Robert Mac Donagh was twice fined £130
for presuming to hold pleas in the ecclesiastical courts
for matters belonging to the Crown; and these two
fines were paid, with the exception of £84. 14. 2.,
which was remitted. In 1324 Philip of Slane was
sent in embassy to the pope by Edw. II., and discharged
his commission with such address that he
was made one of the privy council of Ireland. On his
return, an assembly of bishops, noblemen, and others
was held, at which it was resolved that all disturbers of
the public peace should be excommunicated; that the
small and poor bishopricks not exceeding £20, £40, or
£60 per annum, and which were governed by the mere
Irish, should be united with the more eminent bishopricks;
and that the Irish abbots and priors should.
receive Englishmen into lay brotherhoods, as in England.
In 1430, the sees of Cork and Cloyne being both
vacant, Pope Martin V. united them, and appointed
Jordan, chancellor of Limerick, bishop of the united
diocese. The last Roman Catholic bishop before the
Reformation was John Fitz-Edmund, of the noble family
of the Geraldines, who was appointed bishop by the
pope in 1499. After his death his powerful relatives
seized the revenues of Cloyne and part of those of Cork.
In 1536, Dominic Tirrey, who was reckoned favourable
to the Reformation, was appointed bishop by mandate
of Hen. VIII., and held the see 20 years, during which
period the pope appointed two ecclesiastics to the united
see, neither of whom took possession. Matthew Sheyn,
who was appointed bishop by Elizabeth in 1572, was a
great enemy to the veneration paid to images, and, in
October, 1578, burnt that of St. Dominick at the high
cross of Cork, to the great grief of the people. "William
Lyon was consecrated bishop of Ross in 1582, and on
the 17th of May, 1586, Elizabeth annexed the sees of
Cork and Cloyne to Ross, in favour of this prelate, who,
in a return to a regal visitation held about the year
1613, states that the bishoprick of Cloyne was granted,
by his predecessor, in fee farm, at five marks rent; that
Cork and Ross, when he came into possession, were
worth only £70 per annum, but that he had improved
them to £200 per annum; that he built a mansionhouse
at Ross, at an expense of at least £300, which, in
a little more than three years after, was burnt down by
the rebel O'Donovan; that he found no episcopal house
at Cork, but that he built one, which cost him at least
£1000; and that he never was in possession of the
house belonging to the bishoprick of Cloyne, which was
withheld from him by Sir John Fitz-Edmurid Fitz-
Gerald in his lifetime, and since his death by his heir."
After Bishop Lyon's decease, the see was successively
occupied by John and Richard Boyle, relatives of the
Earls of Cork: the latter, who was afterwards archbishop
of Tuam, died at Cork in 1644, and was buried
in the cathedral, in a vault he had prepared during his
prelacy. While he occupied this see, he is stated to
have repaired more ruinous churches and consecrated
more new ones than any other bishop in that age. This
prelate was succeeded by Dr. Chappel, provost of Trinity
College, Dublin, whose successor was Michael Boyle,
son of Dr. Chappel's predecessor. Bishop Boyle was
succeeded by Dr. Synge, who, by will dated May 23rd,
1677, left several legacies to the poor of St. Finbarr's
(Cork), Youghal, Cloyne, and Innishowen. From the
death of this prelate, the see of Cloyne was held separately
from the united see of Cork and Ross until
1835. Dr. Wetenhall, who was the first Bishop of
Cork and Ross, "suffered great cruelties and oppressions
from the year 1688 to the settlement under King
William," and at his own expense repaired the episcopal
palace at Cork. Dr. Brown, Provost of Trinity College,
was promoted to this bishoprick in 1709, and held it
till his death, in 1735. By his encouragement several
churches were rebuilt or repaired, and glebe-houses
erected; and a handsome public library, with a large
room for a charity-school, was built near the cathedral.
He expended more than £2000 on a country house,
built in a demesne of 118 acres belonging to the see, at
Ballinaspick or Bishopstown, near Cork, which he occupied
as a summer residence, and left to his successors
free from any charge. By will he left £300 contingently,
of which one-third of the interest was to be paid
to the librarian of the library recently erected near the
cathedral (to which he also bequeathed some of his
books), one-third for the purchase of books for its use,
and the remainder for the widows and children of poor
clergymen; he also left £20 to the poor of St. Finbarr's
parish, and £100 for clothing and apprenticing poor
children. On the death of Dr. Brinkley, bishop of Cloyne,
in 1835, that bishoprick was added to Cork and Ross by
the Church Temporalities Act of the 3rd of Wm. IV., and
the united see is called the bishoprick of Cork, Ross,
and Cloyne. By the act for amending the Church Temporalities
Act, £1500 per annum, commencing Sept. 14th,
1835, has been granted out of the funds at the disposal
of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, to compensate Dr.
Kyle, the present bishop, for the loss he has sustained
in exchanging the temporalities of Cork and Ross for
those of Cloyne. The diocese is one of the eleven which
constitute the ecclesiastical province of Cashel; it is
entirely within the county of Cork, extending about 74
miles in length and 16 in breadth, and contains an estimated
superficies of 356,300 acres. The chapter of
Cork consists of a dean, precentor, chancellor, treasurer,
archdeacon, and the twelve prebendaries of Kilbrogan,
Kilbritain, Killaspigmullane, Cahirlog, Liscleary, Killanully,
Inniskenny, Kilnaglory, Holy Trinity, St.
Michael, Desertmore, and Dromdaleague. The see
lands comprise 3306 acres, about one-half of which is
profitable land; and its gross annual revenue, on an
average of three years ending Dec. 31st, 1831, was
£2630. 1.; the whole is now vested in the Ecclesiastical
Commissioners, under the Church Temporalities Act. To
the dean belong, as the corps of the deanery, the rectory
and vicarage of Templebready, and the rectories of
Cullen and Templemartin, the tithes of which amount to
£921. 4. per annum; besides which he has a residence,
or deanery, and the right of nomination to the perpetual
cure of Templebready, of the annual value of £56. 6. 7.,
and to the curacy of St. Finbarr's of the annual value
of £100. To the precentor belong the rectories of
Carrigrohane, Curricuppane, a third of Corbally, and a
fourth of Kinneigh, the tithes of which amount to
£858. 6. 8. per annum; to the chancellor belongs the
consolidated rectory of St. Nicholas, the tithes of which
amount to £315; to the treasurer belong the rectory
entire of Ballinadee, and the tithes of the townlands of
Kilgoban, Rathdowlan, and Mackloneigh, amounting
altogether to £651.10. 8½.; to the archdeacon belong
the rectories of St. Peter, in the city of Cork, and those
of Nohoval, Kilmanogue, Dunbollogue, and Dunisky,
the tithes of which amount to £856. 4. 7., and about
£200 of which is paid as minister's money, in lieu of
tithes, for St. Peter's parish. The endowments of the
prebends will be found in the accounts of the parishes
after which they are named. The cathedral is also the
parish church of St. Finbarr's, and is described in the
account of that parish in a subsequent part of this
article. The annual income of the economy estate, on
an average of three years ending Aug. 30th, 1831, was
£786. 3. 6., principally arising from the tithes of twothirds
of that part of the parish of St. Finbarr which is
in the city, and of the whole of that part which is in
the county, of Cork. The expenditure consists of repairs
of the cathedral, and payments to its officers, &c., but
principally in the building and support of St. Michael's
chapel at Blackrock, from which, in 1831, the economy
estate was in debt £1400. This is the only fund under
the control of the dean and chapter in their corporate
capacity, and the only benefices in their patronage are
the perpetual cure of Marmullane and the chapelry of
St. Michael. The four vicars choral possess a net annual
income of more than £1200, arising from the tithes of
several parishes and the rents of some houses in Cork,
and yielding to each above £300 per annum. The
palace is the only portion of the property of the see,
except the mensal and demesne lands, that is not vested
in the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. The consistorial
court of the dioceses of Cork and Ross is held in the
chapter-house at Cork; its officers are a vicar-general,
registrar, and proctors; the registrar is keeper of the
records of the see, which consist of original wills, oaths,
declarations, canons, and records of the proceedings of
the bishops, the oldest of which commences in 1521.
The total number of parishes in the diocese is 84, of
which 11 are unions; they are comprised in 65 benefices,
6 of which are in the patronage of the Crown, 2 in the
alternate patronage of the Crown and the Bishop, 41 in
the gift of the Bishop, 5 in the gift of incumbents, and
the remaining 11 in the patronage of laymen. There are
58 churches and 26 school buildings, besides which are
other houses licensed by the bishop, in which divine
worship is regularly performed. The. glebe-houses are
25 in number.
In the R. C. divisions Cork forms a separate bishoprick,
comprising 35 parochial districts, containing 81
chapels: of these, 71 are parochial, 3 annexed to presentation
convents, and one to each of the Dominican,
Capuchin, Augustinian, Carmelite, and Franciscan friaries;
one to an Ursuline convent, and one to the Magdalen
Asylum, Cork. The total number of the R. C.
clergy, in 1835, including the bishop, was 74, of whic
35 were parish priests and 39 coadjutors or curates.
The parochial benefice of the bishop, who resides in
Cork, is the union of Shandon, called the North Parish
The county of the city comprises a populous rural district
of great beauty and fertility, watered by several
small rivulets and intersected by the river Lee and its
noble estuary: it is bounded on the north by the barony
of Fermoy, on the east by that of Barrymore, on the
south by KERRYCURRIHY, and on the west by Muskerry:
it comprehends the parishes of St. Finbarr, Christ-
Church or the Holy Trinity, St. Peter, St. Mary Shandon,
St. Anne Shandon, St. Paul and St. Nicholas, all,
except part of St. Finbarr's, within the city and suburbs,
and those of Curricuppane, Carrigrohanemore, Kilcully,
and Rathcoony, together with parts of the parishes of
Killanully or Killingly, Carrigaline, Dunbullogue or Carrignavar,
Ballinaboy, Inniskenny, Kilnaglory, Whitechurch,
and Templemichael, without those limits; and
contains, according to the Ordnance survey, an area of
44,463 statute acres, of which, 2396 are occupied by the
city and suburbs. The Grand Jury presentments for 1835
were as follow: new roads, bridges, &c., £611. 19. 7.;
repairs of roads, bridges, &c., £2641. 14. 0½.; public
buildings, charities, officers salaries, and miscellaneous
expenses, £14,592. 1. l.; police establishment,
£1148. 14. 3.; repayment of advances by Government,
£1254. 19. 6.; wide street commissioners for
lighting, paving, &c., £8800; making a total of
£29,049. 8. 5½.
The parish of St. Finbarr is a rectory, appropriate
to the dean and chapter and vicars choral. The tithes
under the composition act amount to £990 per annum,
of which £690 constitute the greater portion of the
economy fund of the cathedral under the control and
management of the dean and chapter, and £300 are
payable to the vicars choral: a residentiary preacher
with a stipend of £100, of which £50 is from the
economy fund, and £50 from the respective members
for discharging their turns of preaching; a reader, with
a stipend of £75 paid by the vicars choral out of their
estates, and a curate, who also acts as librarian, with a
fixed stipend of £21 from the economy fund, are appointed
for the ordinary performance of the ecclesiastical
duties. The parish church, which is also the cathedral
of the see of Cork, and is dedicated to the saint
whose name it bears, was rebuilt between the years
1725 and 1735, and for defraying the expense a duty of
1s. per ton was imposed by act on all coal and culm
imported into Cork for five years, from May 1st, 1736:
it was newly roofed in 1817 at an expense of £617
from the economy fund. The new structure is of the
Doric order, except the tower, supposed to be part of
the ancient building, erected by Gilla-Aeda O'Mugin,
in the 12th century, and is surmounted by a lofty octangular
spire of hewn stone under which is the principal
entrance; on the south is the chapter hall, where the
consistorial court is held, on the north the vestry room;
the choir is lighted by a fine Venetian window; the
bishop's throne, of black Irish oak, and the prebendal
stalls, are handsomely finished, and well arranged: a
beautiful monument of white marble, erected to the
memory of Chief Baron Tracton, whose body is interred
in the cathedral, has been recently transferred from
St. Nicholas' church to a conspicuous position in it.
Near the cathedral is the bishop's palace, built between 42
1772 and 1789, during the prelacy of Dr. Mann, a large
and well-constructed edifice, on the southern, bank of
the river Lee, surrounded by pleasure grounds and gardens,
and containing some fine paintings, among which
is a portrait of Dr. Lyons, concerning whose preferment
to the see a traditionary story, but wholly unsupported
by documentary evidence, relates, that having received
a promise from Queen Elizabeth to be promoted to the
first vacancy in her gift, in consequence of his gallant
conduct as captain of a ship in several actions with the
Spaniards, he applied for the bishoprick of Cork on the
death of the bishop, and notwithstanding the objections
made in consequence of his former profession, by urging
his reliance on the royal promise, he was appointed to the
see. On the south side of the cathedral is Dean's Court,
a good modern house, the residence of the Dean. A
chapel of ease to this parish has been erected at Blackrock,
for the description of which, see BLACKROCK.
The living of the parish of Christ-Church is a vicarage,
in the patronage of the Bishop; the rectory constitutes
the corps of the prebend of the same name in the cathedral
church, and is in the gift of the Crown: the
prebendary derives his income from lands at Blackrock,
averaging in rent and renewal fines, £396. 18. 5¾ per
annum; the endowment of the vicarage, arising solely
from houses assessed to minister's money, amounts to
about £650 per annum: it has neither glebe nor glebehouse.
The old church was taken down in 1716, and
rebuilt in 1720 by a tax of 1s. per ton on coal imported
for 15 years: the steeple having afterwards sunk on
one side so as to swerve 3½ feet from the perpendicular,
though without any fissures, thus presenting a very singular
appearance, was lowered to the level of the roof
and ultimately wholly removed, and the church rebuilt
by the Messrs. Pain. The new structure is 97 feet by
57, its richly panelled ceiling rests on ranges of Ionic
pillars of scagliola continued across the eastern end;
along the northern and southern walls are galleries supported
by Doric pilasters. Several of the lower columns,
with parts of the floor, having been destroyed by the
dry rot, Richard Beamish, Esq., civil engineer, in 1831,
replaced the whole lower range of columns with pillars
of cast iron without the smallest derangement of the
upper columns, thus effectually securing the stability of
the entire edifice. Several gravestones, some of the
16th century, and bearing emblematic devices, were
discovered during the progress of the alterations. The
living of St. Peter's is a rectory, united from time immemorial
with the entire rectories of Nohoval, Kilmonogue,
Dunbullogue, and Dunisky, together constituting
the union and corps of the archdeaconry, in the patronage
of the Bishop. The archdeacon's gross income is
about £1000, arising from minister's money assessed on
St. Peter's parish, from the tithes of the four rural parishes,
and from reserved rents of houses, out of which
he pays a perpetual and four stipendiary curates. The
church, one of the most ancient in the city, formerly
had as a steeple a tower detached from it considerably to
the west, which once defended the city wall; its site is
now occupied by an alms-house: the altar is ornamented
with fluted Corinthian pilasters, and on its south
side was a monument to the memory of Sir Matthew
Deane and his lady, of the date of 1710, now removed
to tne further end of the church. The living
of St. Mary's Shandon is a rectory and vicarage, wit
the rectory of St. Catharine, near Shandon, which has
merged into it, united from time immemorial, and in
the alternate patronage of the Duke of Leinster, and
the Rev. Robert Longfield. There is neither glebe nor
glebe-house: the tithes amount to £25, under the composition
act, and the minister's money to £40 per ann.,
in addition to which the rector receives a rental of
£95. 10. 9., from 7 houses in Shandon-street. This
income is charged with the stipend of £75 per annum
to a licensed curate. The church of the ancient parish
of Shandon, which comprised the present parishes of
St. Mary, St. Anne, and St. Paul, occupied the site of
St. Anne's church, and from its proximity to Shandon
castle, was several times damaged by contending factions
and ultimately destroyed by the Irish about 1690: the
present church, a neat edifice, was built in 1696, on a
new site, and the Ecclesiastical Commissioners have
lately granted £198. 19. 4. for its repairs, St., Anne's
Shandon is a rectory, in the alternate patronage of the
Duke of Leinster, and the Rev. Robert Longfield. It has
neither glebe nor glebe-hiouse. The tithes under the
composition act amount to £240. 3. 5½., and the minister's
money is about £370 per annum. The church, a
large and handsome edifice, with a tower of several
stories, 120 feet high, was built by subscription in 1772,
on the site of the old church of Shandon, and being
erected on an eminence, is prominently conspicuous
from most parts of the city: the Ecclesiastical Commissioners
have granted £259. 9. 10. for its repairs. A
chapel of ease to this parish was erected in 1836, near
the Brickfields, in the later English style of architecture,
from a design of Messrs. Pain, with a western
tower surmounted by a light and elegant spire and two
lofty pinnacles at the east end; capacious school-rooms
have been formed below the level of the floor at the
same end where the ground declines rapidly; the late
Board of First Fruits granted £1000, and an equal sum
was raised by subscription for the erection of this building.
The living of St. Paul's is a rectory, in the alternate
patronage of the Duke of Leinster, and the Rev.
Robert Longfield. The parish was formed, in 1726, out
of the districts of the East Marsh, in the parish of St.
Mary Shandon, and Dunscombe's Marsh, in that of
Christ-Church: the income, amounting to about £200
per ann., is derived solely from assessments of minister's
money: there is neither glebe nor glebe-house.
The church is a neat edifice in the Grecian style,
built by subscription on the formation of the parish,
and on ground granted by the corporation. The living
of St. Nicholas' is a rectory, united by act of council in
1752 with those of St. Bridget, St. John of Jerusalem,
St. Stephen, St. Mary de Narde, St. Dominic, and St.
Magdalene, which together constitute the corps of the
chancellorship, in the patronage of the Bishop. The
income of the union is £293. 18. 0., arising from houses
assessed to minister's money, the tithes of St.. Magdalene
amounting to £21, the tithes of St. Nicholas and
houses producing £5. 18. 0. per ann. The church, formerly
a chapel of ease to St. Finbarr's, was built in
1723 by contributions from Bishop Browne and others,
and is a small neat edifice, situate in the southern part
of the city. A free church, near the South Infirmary, is
now nearly completed, and above St. Patrick's bridge
the hulk of an old vessel forms the Bethel or Mariner's
church. The church of St. Brandon, which was situate
on the north side of the river, on the road to Youghal,
has been entirely destroyed, but the cemetery is still
in use.
The principal schools in connection with the Established
Church are the following. St. Stephen's Blue
Coat Hospital was founded pursuant to a grant of
lands and tenements in the north and south liberties
by the Honourable William Worth, by deed dated
Sept. 2nd, 1699, now producing a rental of £443. 4. 4.
which, with the interest of £500 saved by the trustees,
is expended in the maintenance, clothing, and
education of 22 boys, the sons of reduced Protestant
citizens, and in aid of the support of four students
at Trinity College, Dublin: it is under the superintendence
of the mayor and council, who nominate the boys.
The school premises are situated on an eminence in the
parish of St. Nicholas, and comprise a good school-room,
dining-hall, apartments for the governor, and suitable
offices, with an enclosed playground in front. The
Green Coat Hospital, in the churchyard of St. Anne's
Shandon, was founded about 1715, chiefly through the
exertions of some military gentlemen and others to the
number of 25, who by an act passed in 1717 were incorporated
trustees, for the instruction of 20 children of
each sex in the rudiments of useful knowledge and the
principles of the Protestant religion, and for apprenticing
them at a proper age, with a preference to the
children of military men who had served their country.
No regular system appears to have been introduced
prior to 1751, but subsequently 40 children were clothed
and educated till 1812; the number has since been increased
by aid of a parliamentary grant, and at present
there are 40 boys and 28 girls in the school. The
income amounts to £96. 7. 11¼. per annum, of which
£83. 15. 11¼. arises from donations and bequests, and
the remainder from annual subscriptions: the chief benefactors
were Daniel Thresher, who devised the lands
of Rickenhead, in the county of Dublin, now let for £26
per annum on lease, which will expire in 1844, when
they will probably produce at least £100 per annum;
and Francis Edwards, of London, who devised eleven
ploughlands in the parish of Ballyvourney, let permanently
for £11 per annum: a librarian and treasurer,
chosen from among the trustees, act gratuitously. The
building consists of a centre and two wings, the former
containing two school-rooms and apartments for the
master; in the west wing are a library and board-room,
with apartments for the mistress; and the other wing
contains lodging-rooms for about 38 poor parishioners.
Deane's charity schools were founded under the will,
dated in 1726, of Moses Deane, Esq., of this city, who
devised the rents of certain premises held for a term of
years in trust to the corporation, to accumulate until
they should yield a sum of £1200 for the parishes of
St. Peter, St. Nicholas, St. Mary Shandon, and Christ-
Church respectively, which sums were to be invested in
lands in the county of Cork, and the rents applied to
the instruction and clothing of 20 boys and 20 girls of
each parish. The portion of the bequest assigned to
the parish of St. Peter having been paid, the school was
re-opened in 1817, and now affords instruction to 30
boys and 35 girls, of whom 20 of each sex are clothed:
the endowment produces £66. 17. per, annum, and an
additional sum of about £50 is raised annually by subscriptions
and the proceeds of an annual sermon: these
form the parochial schools of St. Peter's. The portion
assigned to the parish of St. Nicholas was obtained by
the Rev. Archdeacon Austin, and was afterwards vested
in the hands of the commissioners for charitable bequests
by the Rev. Dr. Quarry. In 1822 a grant was
obtained., and a plain and commodious building containing
two school-rooms was erected in Cove-street, to
which, in 1831, the Rev. J. N. Lombard, the present
rector, added a school-room for infants: there are now
in these schools 76 boys and 99 girls, of whom 30 boys
and 25 girls are clothed out of the funds, which now
amount to £189. 14. 10. per annum, and the children
receive a daily supply of bread. The portion belonging
to St. Mary Shandon's was lost for many years, but by
the exertions of Dr. Quarry, the present rector, £800
was recovered, which, by a legacy of £100 and accumulated
interest, has been augmented to £2000 three and
a half per cent, reduced annuities: a commodious building
of red brick ornamented with hewn limestone, and
containing apartments for the master and three spacious
school-rooms with a covered play-ground for the children,
was erected in 1833 under the superintendence of
Dr. Quarry, at the cost of £743. 3. 6. collected by him
for that purpose: the pupils amount to 64 boys and 46
girls. An infants' school affords instruction to 100
children: the entire average of attendance may be
averaged at 200. A Sunday and an adult school are
also held in the same building. The boys' and girls'
schools are supported by a portion of the dividends
arising from the funded property, and by local subscriptions,
and a collection after a charity sermon; and the
infants' school by a portion of the same dividends and
subscriptions. The parish of Christ-Church obtained
no portion of Deane's bequest, the lease of the premises
from which it was payable having expired. The diocesan
schools for the sees of Cork, Ross, and Cloyne,
are situated in Prince's-street, and are attended by 60
pupils, of whom 14 are taught gratuitously. On the
eastern side of the cathedral is a free school founded by
Archdeacon Pomeroy for the instruction in reading,
writing, and arithmetic, of ten boys, to be nominated by
the bishop; the master's original salary of £10 having
been augmented by the dean and chapter, and by a bequest
by the late Mrs. Shearman, to £30, twenty boys
are now instructed gratuitously and are also taught the
mathematics. Attached to the school is a library,
founded also by the archdeacon, and much enlarged by
a bequest of the late Bishop Stopford: it contains more
than 4000 volumes, chiefly valuable editions of the classics
and works on Divinity, and is open gratuitously
to the clergy of the diocese and the parishioners of St.
Finbarr's.
According to the R. C. divisions, the city with
the suburbs is divided into three unions or parishes.
St. Mary's and St. Anne's, St. Peter's and St. Paul's,
and St. Finbarr's. St. Mary's and St. Anne's comprises
nearly the whole of the Protestant parishes
of St. Mary, St. Anne, and St. Catherine: the duties
are performed by the parish priest, who is the Bishop,
six curates, and two chaplains. The parochial chapel;
which is'also the cathedral, is a spacious structure;
with a plain exterior: the eastern end having been
destroyed by an accidental fire, it was rebuilt, and;
with the rest of the interior, decorated by the Messrs,
Pain in the later English style of architecture: the
altar-piece is extremely rich and similar to that of
the abbey of St. Albans, in England. There are
chapels of ease at Brickfields and Clogheen: the former,
dedicated to St. Patrick, is a handsome edifice in the
Grecian style by the Messrs. Pain: the principal front
is ornamented by a lofty and elegant portico of eight
columns of grey marble, not yet finished, and approached
by a flight of steps, extending along the entire front:
from the centre of the roof rises a cupola, supported by
eight Corinthian columns, surmounted by figures representing
as many of the Apostles; the whole topped by
a pedestal and cross. This chapel was opened for divine
service, October 18th, 1836. St. Peter's and Paul's,
comprising the Protestant parishes of the same name,
with portions of those of Christ-Church, St. Anne's, and
St. Finbarr's, is a mensal of the Bishop: the duties are
performed by an administrator and two curates. The
parochial chapel, a plain edifice, built in 1786, has an
elegant altar in the Corinthian style, with a fine painting
of the Crucifixion. St. Finbarr's comprises the Protestant
parish of St. Nicholas, most part of St. Finbarr's,
and a small portion of that of Christ-Church: the
duties are performed by a parish priest and four curates,
one of whom resides near Blackrock, and officiates at
the chapel of ease there, which is noticed under the
article descriptive of that village. The parochial chapel
is in Dunbar-street, a spacious building, erected in 1776
in form of a T: under the altar is a figure of a "dead
Christ," of a single block of white marble, executed at
Rome, at an expense of £500, by Hogan, a native or
Cork. In the chapel is also a monument to the memory
of the Rev. Dr. McCarthy, coadjutor bishop, in which
he is represented in the act of administering the sacrament
to a person labouring under malignant fever, thus
expressing in the most lively manner the cause of his
premature death. There are four friaries belonging
severally to the Augustinians, Franciscans, Dominicans,
and Capuchins; two monasteries for monks, one of the
Presentation order, the other of the Christian Brotherhood
3 and two convents for nuns of the Presentation
order, one in the southern and the other in the northern
part of the city. The Augustinians had an institution,
called Gill Abbey, founded by St. Finbarr, for canons
regular of the order, largely endowed by Cormac Mac
Carthy, King of Cork, and shortly afterwards completed
by Gilla Aeda, bishop of the see, from whom it derived
its name; it anciently formed the cathedral establishment.
The present state of this and the other
decayed monastic buildings in the city is described in
the subsequent part of this article, which treats of its
antiquities. The institution at present is situated in
Brunswick-street, and consists of a prior and four
priests: the chapel, erected in 1780, was much enlarged
in 1827; over the altar is a good painting of
the Crucifixion. The Franciscan monastery was founded
in 1214, on the north side of the city, by Dermot
Mac Carthy Reagh, and rebuilt in 1240 by Lord
Philip Prendergast. The present institution, situated in
Grattan-street, consists of a guardian and four priests:
the chapel, a neat building, was erected in 1830 by
subscription, at an expense of £4500. The Dominican
friary was founded in 1229, by the Barry family, on
an island on the south side of the city, whence it acquired
the name of the Abbey of the Island. The, institution
is now situated in Dominic-street, on the site of
Shandon castle, and consists of a prior and six priests.
A new chapel, dedicated to St. Mary, is being erected on
Pope's quay from a design gratuitously furnished by
Kearnes Deane, Esq. who superintends its erection on
a principle of similar liberality. When finished, it will
consist of a portico of six Ionic columns with a triangular
pediment surmounted by sculptured figures, with a
stately portico, enriched with Corinthian pillars on each
side, and topped by a dome with an octangular tambour.
The interior, 112½ by 100 feet, will be also enriched
by ranges of Corinthian, pillars; the cost will be defrayed
both by voluntary subscriptions collected in the
usual manner and by a weekly penny collection from
the industrious and. poorer classes. A Sunday school
with about 500 pupils is attached to this body. The
Capuchins' or Reformed Franciscans' institution, situated
in Blackman's-lane, consists of a provincial, guardian,
and three priests. The chapel was built by the celebrated
Arthur O'Leary, who was a priest of this order.
A new chapel has been commenced in 1823, on Charlotte's-
quay, by the present provincial, the Very Rev.
Theobald Matthews, who has contributed liberally to its
expense, which has already amounted to £10,000; the
remainder is derived from subscriptions and weekly
collections. The structure, from a design and under the
superintendence of Messrs. Pain, is built of a light grey
limestone, and is already carried up as high as the roof;
when finished, it will present a splendid specimen of
the later English style, with a tower and spire, 200 feet
high • the front has a portico of three lofty arches resting
on octagonal piers; between the centre piers is a rich
screen, forming a kind of porch to the doorway. The
piers, ten in number, are continued at the angles of the
building, those not connected with the tower terminating
like those of Hen. VII.'s chapel at Westminster,
from which spring the exterior flying buttresses.
Similar buttresses are introduced in connection with
the turrets at the angles of the tower, which rise from a
base just above the arches before mentioned. The tower
will consist of two stories, having an open parapet of
tracery passing round it, above which will rise the spire:
the upper story of the tower and the lower portion of
the spire will be open, so managed as to combine
strength and variety with airy lightness. The contract
for the building was nearly £12,000, but it is estimated
that the entire cost will exceed £20,000. The Sunday
schools, under the care of the Josephian Society (the
Very Rev.T. Matthews, patron), are composed of religious
and well-educated young men who instruct 500
boys; the day schools are under the superintendence of 50
Ladies Governesses, five of whom attend every day and
arc assisted by a matron and instruct 500 girls; an infants'
school for 350 children is under the direction of the
same ladies, aided by a matron from the London parent
institution. Evening schools for the instruction of apprentices
and labouring boys are under the care of the
same society. The Presentation Monastery, situated in
Douglas-street, was established in 1827 in buildings previously
occupied by the Nuns of the Presentation order.
The community consists of a superior and ten brothers,
who devote themselves to the instruction of the poor
on a system embracing every branch of useful education.
Attached to the dwelling is a spacious building, divided
into four large apartments capable of accommodating
1000 boys; about 600 receive instruction and are apprenticed
when at a proper age. The funds are derived
from subscriptions and the proceeds of an annual sermon.
The school owes its origin to the late Very Rev.
Dean Collins, priest of the parish, who contributed
liberally towards the erection of the building, and
also to its support. The Lancasterian school, at the
end of Great George's-street, is conducted by this community;
it is 80 feet by 60, arid capable of accommodating
1000 pupils; it is attended by the same number, and
supported in the same manner as the school previously
described. The Christian Brotherhood was instituted in
1811; the present buildings, situated in Peacock-lane,
were erected in 1815. The community consists of a
superior and eight brothers, who devote themselves to
the instruction of the poor in two schools, one in Peacock
lane; the other on Sullivan's-quay: the former of these,
two stories high and divided into six apartments, each
45 feet by 25, affords accommodation for 800 boys;
in the latter about 300 attend. The schools are conducted
and supported in the same manner as those of
the Presentation Monastery. The community's dwelling-
house is at a short distance from the former of these
schools, on an elevated and commanding situation. The
Presentation Convent, in Douglas-street, owes its origin
to the late Miss Honora Nagle, who in 1777 erected a
small building for that purpose; which being soon found
too small for the increasing number of its inmates, the
building now occupied by the parochial clergymen and
by the monks of the Presentation order, was erected by
the ladies and their friends, under the superintendence
of the Very Rev. Dean Collins: the establishment has
since become the parent house of the Presentation Institute
in Ireland. After the decease of this lady, the
new order was approved of by Pope Pius VI. and
confirmed by Pius VII., under the title of "the Presentation
of the Blessed Virgin Mary." Dean Collins,
then the parish priest, purchased, in 1825, the interest of
the present buildings (partly erected by Miss Nagle)
from the Ursuline Nuns, who had removed to their present
abode in Blackrock; and the present community of
the Presentation Institute removed into them on Oct.
1st, 1827, from the buildings now occupied by the
Parochial Clergy and the Monks of the Presentation
order. The community consists of a superioress, 17
professed and 2 lay nuns, who devote their whole time
to the gratuitous instruction of poor female children;
the average attendance of pupils is about 500. The
buildings, with the chapel, form a very respectable pile
in an elevated situation. The remains of the foundress
are interred in the cemetery within the grounds, and
those of Dean Collins within the chapel, in which there
is a neat marble slab erected to his memory. There is
an almshouse for 20 poor old women in connection with
it, chiefly supported by the ladies. The North Presentation
convent was founded in Chapel-street in 1799,
and removed to the present house in Clarence-street in
1808. The community consists of a superioress, 14
professed nuns and two lay sisters, who devote their
time to the same purpose as those in Douglas-street
already described: the average attendance of children
at the school is 600, one-third of whom are clothed
annually by a subscription of the citizens: the buildings
with the chapel form a handsome pile. A branch of
the Sisters of Charity, Stanhope-street, Dublin, was
established near the cathedral 10 years since; the com-
3 I
munity consists of six inmates, who go out to relieve
the sick poor and to instruct them in the duties of religion.
The Presbyterians have two places of worship, one
in connection with the Synod of Munster, and the other
in connection with that of Ulster; each is of the first
class. There are also two places of worship for Wesleyan
Methodists, and one each for the Baptists, the Society
of Friends, the Independents and the Primitive Methodists.
The congregation belonging to the Synod of
Munster is a Cromwellian establishment, and one of the
oldest dissenting congregations in Cork: the place of
worship, a commodious and well-arranged edifice, is in
Princes's-street: a boys' and girls' school in connection
with it, the pupils of which are clothed and apprenticed
at a proper age, is supported by subscription and the
proceeds of an annual sermon: there is also an alms'-
house, with accommodation for 15 inmates, but having
only 9 at present in it; also a loan fund and a lending
library. J. Pedder, Esq., bequeathed to the congregation
£600, one half for the ministers, and the other for
the poor; S. McCarthy also bequeathed £300 for the
same purpose. Dr. Hincks, Greek professor in the
Royal Belfast Academical Institution, and author of a
Greek and English Lexicon and other works connected
with classical literature, was minister of this congregation
for many years. The congregation of the Synod of
Ulster holds its devotional meetings in a large room in
Tuckey-street, formerly the assembly-room belonging to
Daly's Club-house. The Wesleyan Methodists' places
of worship, both neat and commodious edifices, are in
Henry-street and Patrick-street; attached to the former
are a female day school and an infants' school; each has
a Sunday school; all are supported by subscription.
The Baptist place of worship is a plain building in Marlborough-
street. The meeting-house belonging to the
Society of Friends consists of a large and convenient
range of buildings lately erected in Grattan- street, on
the site of the old meeting-house, and comprising an
apartment for public worship, with committee-rooms
attached to it, and, fronting the street, a commodious
dwelling-house for the resident care-taker and for reduced
aged and infirm members: the expense, amounting to
£4200, was defrayed by a subscription of its own members.
The Independent meeting-house, in Old George'sstreet,
was built by Messrs. Pain in 1829, at an expense
of about £3000; it is an oblong edifice, 80 feet by 40,
with two semicircular appendages; and in front is a
small portico of four fanciful columns resembling the
Corinthian order; the ceiling is arched and richly pannelled.
The Primitive Methodists have their place of
worship in French Church-street.
In addition to the schools already noticed are many
more in the different parishes of the city and suburbs,
supported principally by annual grants, local subscriptions,
and collections after charity sermons. In Christ-
Church parish are the male and female parochial schools,
of which the boys' school has an endowment of £15 late
currency bequeathed by Mrs. Shearman; an infants'
school, and several Sunday schools. In the parish of
St. Anne Shandon are the male and female parochial
schools; the parochial infants' school; the Brickfields'
National schools, aided by grants from the National
Board, and several Sunday schools. A school in George'sstreet
was established in 1822, principally by the exer-
tions of Dr. P. Kehoe, for the instruction of deaf and
dumb children, into which, since its foundation, 60 children
have been admitted; of these, 30 have been withdrawn
by their parents from time to time; 15 have
been apprenticed; 4 died, and 11 are at present in attendance.
Here is a branch of the Juvenile Auxiliary
Society to the National Institution for the deaf and
dumb at Claremont, near Dublin. In the parish of
St. Finbarr are the parochial male school, aided by an
annual subscription of £20 from the dean and chapter,
and a bequest of £10 per annum late currency from
Mrs. Shearman; the parochial female school, a National
school for boys at Blackrock, a school supported by
subscriptions, and several Sunday schools. In the parish
of St. Mary Shandon are a National school for boys
and girls in Blarney-lane, and another at Sunday's
Well: the latter was erected in 1835, at an expense
of £340, of which the National Board of Education
contributed £186, and the remainder was defrayed by
subscription; it is a neat building of two apartments
each 52 feet by 24, and affords instruction to about 350
of each sex. In the parish of St. Nicholas the Masonic
Female Orphan Asylum, Cove-street, was founded in
1820, in which the children are maintained, clothed,
educated, and apprenticed to trades or other useful occupations:
from its commencement to July 31st, 1836,
60 children have been admitted, of whom 40 have
been apprenticed: the expense for that year was about
£300: the parish also contains a friary school for girls,
and an infants' school adjoining the chapel of the Capuchins,
a friary and Sunday and evening school for girls,
and a Sunday school in connection with the Established
Church. In the parish of St. Paul are a Protestant free
school for boys and girls, several of whom are clothed,
and, under the same roof, an infants' school; a free
school for girls, endowed with the dividends on £450
three and a half per cent, consol. bank annuities; and
two Sunday schools. In the parish of St. Peter are a
school for girls adjoining the chapel of St. Peter and
St. Paul, under the superintendence of a committee of
ladies, and aided by the interest of a bequest from the
late Mr. Rochford; St. Patrick's asylum for orphans,
under the superintendence of the R. C. clergyman, in
which 20 boys and 20 girls are boarded, lodged, clothed,
and educated, and at a proper age apprenticed, and
which is supported by subscriptions and a collection
after a charity sermon, amounting to about £220 per
annum; a school for girls, and an infants' school in connection
with the Wesleyan Methodists; and several
Sunday schools. These schools altogether, exclusively
of the Sunday schools, afford instruction to about 3750
boys and 3250 girls; there are also 45 private pay
schools, in which about 1150 bovs and 740 girls are
taught.
The Foundling Hospital, in Leitrim-street, was opened
in 1747. It is governed by an incorporated board, consisting
of the diocesan, the mayor, recorder, aldermen,
sheriffs, common-councilmen and common-speaker, with.
26 of the commonalty, elected by the D'Oyer Hundred,
and is maintained by a local tax on coal and culm,
weigh-house fines, carriage licenses and penalties on car
drivers, amounting to about £5500 annually. The infants,
received periodically from the churchwardens, are
placed out at nurse till they are six or seven years old,
when they become inmates until of an age to be apprenCOR
ticed. The average number of the former class is 1000
and of the latter 400. They are educated as Protestants
and bound to Protestant masters. Good conduct
during apprenticeship is rewarded by a gratuity of three
guineas. The building is a small quadrangle, of which
the chapel forms one side; the other three are appropriated
to school-rooms (two for the boys and two for the
girls), dormitories, and other necessary apartments. A
resident chaplain superintends the details of the institution.
The North Infirmary, adjoining the churchyard of
St. Anne's, Shandon, was formed in 1744 by the members
of a musical society, who appropriated their surplus
funds for its support, and by individual subscriptions,
and was established by an act passed in 1752; it is
supported by a Grand Jury presentment of £250, a grant
of £50 from Government, and voluntary subscriptions,
all which together, with funded property arising from
bequests, amounts to about £500 per annum. In 1829
Mr. Sampayo, a native of the city, but resident in London,
contributed £1000 for the enlargement of the hospital
accommodation, which having been increased by a
bequest of £500 from Mr. Rochford and by other subscriptions,
amounting in all to £3200, the trustees
determined to erect a new building capable of containing
100 beds, on the ground belonging to the old infirmary.
The building, erected by Mr. Hill, a resident architect,
consists of a plain structure, of three stories, forming
three sides of a quadrangle, 100 feet in front, with
lateral returns of 75 feet each. The ground floor is
appropriated to the dispensary department and to accommodation
for officers; the two upper stories are laid
out in wards. The expense of its erection was £3760.13.6.
Its affairs are conducted by a board of trustees partly
official and partly elected annually. The number of
patients during 1835 was, interns, cured 227, relieved
30, died 8, remaining at the close of the year 30; total,
295 externs, cured or relieved, 14,606; general total,
14,901. The income for the same year was £1703.12.2.,
and the expenditure, £1559.4.6., from which latter item is
to be deducted £800 paid to the architect on account of
the building, leaving £759.4. 6. for the current annual
expenses of the institution. The South Infirmary was
established under the 11th and 12th of Geo. III., and is
supported by a similar presentment of £250 late currency
from the Grand Jury, an annual grant of £50 by
the Government, and subscriptions amounting to about
£200 per annum. The building contains about 32
beds, and is well adapted to its purpose; the wards
are large and well ventilated. The number admitted in
1835 was 381, of whom 243 were discharged cured, 76
relieved, 25 died, 6 absconded, and 30 remained on Jan.
1st, 1836; during the same year, 14,354 externs were
cured or relieved. An attempt was some time since
made by the trustees to unite these infirmaries and constitute
them a general hospital both for the county and
the county of the city of Cork, and to erect a large
building sufficient for the purpose; this arrangement
being subsequently limited to the union of the infirmaries
only, an act was procured in the 2nd and 3rd of
Wm. IV., but from some difficulty which arose the design
was ultimately abandoned. The Fever Hospital
and House of Recovery, established in 1802, and supported
by annual subscriptions and Grand Jury presentments,
is situated in an airy part of the north suburbs;
and from its opening to the 31st of Oct., 1836, not less
than 51,085 patients have been admitted. In 1816 a
detached building, capable of containing 80 beds, was
added to it, into which, during the prevalence of cholera,
775 patients of that class were admitted. The building
is spacious, well arranged, and thoroughly ventilated,
and contains 200 beds: the total expenditure for the
year 1835 amounted to £1295. 17. 10. The Lying-in
Hospital, on the Mardyke parade, was established in
1798, and is supported by subscription under the superintendence
of a committee of ladies; it contains 12 beds,
and, in 1835,368 poor women participated in the benefits
of the establishment. The Cork Midwifery Dispensary
and Institution for Diseases of Women and Children
was opened in Brown-street in 1834, and is supported
by subscription. The Cork General Dispensary, Humane
Society, and Cow-pock Institution was established in
1787, and is supported by Grand Jury presentments,
donations, and subscriptions: in the year ending April
1st, 1836, not less than 11,198 patients received medical
and surgical relief from this establishment, of whom
5066 were relieved in their own dwellings. The Lunatic
Asylum for the county and city is situated on the Blackrock
road, and is connected with the House of Industry
adjoining, and under the direction of the same board of
governors; the house, though spacious, is not adapted
for complete classification; a considerable piece of
ground in front enclosed with a high wall is used as a
place of recreation for the patients, and is cultivated by
them; the number in 1836 was 370, which is 70 more
than can be properly accommodated; the institution is
supported by presentments on the county and county of
the city, apportioned by sharing equally certain fixed
expenses, and by contributing to the maintenance of the
inmates according to the number sent from each: the
annual average expenditure amounts to £4000. The
asylum is under the medical superintendence of Dr.
Osburne, and of a moral governor, the former of whom
has a private establishment at Lindville for the reception
of insane patients, beautifully situated on a limestone
rock gently sloping to the river, of which it commands
a pleasing view; and attached to it is an enclosed demesne
of 14 acres, affording extensive walks and ample
means of recreation to the patients under his care. The
House of Industry is an extensive building, affording,
accommodation to 1200 inmates, who are always under
its roof, and of whom two-thirds are women; these are
employed in household work, washing, spinning, plain
work, weaving, and platting straw; and the males in
picking oakum, weaving, quarrying and breaking
stones for the roads, and in cleaning the streets. The
establishment contains two medical and surgical hospitals,
in which are 150 beds; and there are three
schools for boys and girls, each under a separate
teacher. It is supported by Grand Jury presentments,
the labour of the inmates, collections at charity sermons,
and by subscriptions and donations; and is conducted
with the greatest regard to the comfort and
moral improvement of the inmates. The Magdalene
Asylum, in Peacock-lane, was founded in 1809 by Nicholas
Therry, Esq., for the protection and reformation
of penitent females of dissolute habits, who now contribute
to their own maintenance by honest industry. The
County and City of Cork Refuge, in Deane-street, instituted
in 18-25 for destitute females, and more especially
for female liberated prisoners, is supported by subscrip-
tion; there are at present SO inmates in this institution.
There are various almshouses, principally of parochial
character, among which the chief are the corporation
almshouses, and those of the parishes of St. Finbarr, St.
Nicholas, Christ-Church, and St. Peter and St. Paul; the
almshouses in connection with the South Presentation
convent, founded by Miss Nagle for aged women; and
St. John's Asylum, in Douglas-street, for aged men, the
two latter of Roman Catholic origin. Capt. Bretridge,
in 1683, devised the lands of East Drumcummer to the
corporation for ever, in trust for the payment of 10s. 6d.
weekly to seven poor old Protestant men that had been
soldiers, the surplus to be applied in apprenticing the
children of poor soldiers of the Protestant religion in the
city and liberties, or in default of such, the children of
other poor Protestant parents; the present income is
£258 per annum. In 1584, Stephen Skiddy bequeathed
to the mayor and aldermen £24 per annum, to be paid
by the Vintners' Company of London, and to be distributed
among ten poor, honest, and aged persons of the
city. Almshouses were built for each of these charities,
and in 1718 a new house was erected for both near the
Green Coat Hospital, at an. expense of £1150, arising
-from the sale of the former site; the piazzas were subsequently
added at the expense of some benevolent
individuals: the animal income of Skiddy's charity, arising
from the original bequest and the rents of certain
premises granted by the corporation in 1702, is now
£235. 18., and is expended in the support of 41 aged
widows and five aged men, who have apartments in the
almshouse. Mr. William Masterson bequeathed £30
per annum to the poor of the parish of St. Mary, of
which sum, £16 is distributed in sums of £2 to poor
Protestant tradesmen, £10 is given as marriage portions
to two Protestant female servants married to Protestant
tradesmen, and the remaining £4 to the Green Coat
Hospital. In 1832, W. Lapp, Esq., bequeathed £30,000
for the support of poor old Protestants in the city; but
the will not being properly attested to pass freehold
estates, the heir resists payment; it, is, however, thought
that the personal property will be sufficient to pay nearly
the whole of the bequest. There are various societies
for the diffusion of religious knowledge. The charitable
loan fund originated in the establishment of a society
for the relief of poor confined debtors by Henry Shears,
in 1774; by a deed dated March 30th, 1785, trustees
•were empowered by the Musical Society of Dublin to
lend money, at first free of interest, to industrious
tradesmen in sums from £2 to £5, but subsequently
with a charge of 1s. interest on each loan of £3 under
the authority of the act of the 4th of Geo. IV. cap. 32.
The funds are now entirely appropriated to the purposes
of the loan society, and are lent in sums of £3, the
borrower giving security for repayment by weekly instalments
of 2s. 6d.: the number of families repaying
the loan in 1834 was 1150.
Among the remains of antiquity one of the most
ancient was Gill Abbey, which, after standing 980 years,
fell down in 1738; no vestiges of it can now be traced,
but near the site is a cave, anciently called the cave of
St. Finbarr, and several fragments of stone pillars and
other sculptured ornaments have been lately turned up
on the spot. An Augustinian monastery, also on the
south side of the town, is the only one of which there
are any remains: it is stated by various writers to have
been founded at different periods, by some in the reign
of Edw. L, by others in that of Hen. V. or VI., and by
some even so late as 1472 or 1475 j the remains consist
of the tower, which is 64 feet high, and is called the Red
abbey. The Franciscan monastery had a stately church
in which many illustrious persons were interred, but it is
now entirely demolished, and Hebert's-square is built
on its site. On digging the foundations of the buildings
in this square in 1836, a stone curiously sculptured with
the date 1567 marked on it was discovered, also a plate
of metal 34 inches by 30, now in Mr. Hebert's possession,
on which is represented the Nativity, accompanied
by a long description, apparently in Dutch.
The site of the Dominican friary, called the Abbey of St.
Mary of the Island, is now occupied by Mr. O'Keefe's
distillery. A nunnery, dedicated to St. John the Baptist,
and from which St. John's-street took its name, was
founded early in the 14th century; the site was discovered
a few years since, when several tombstones were
dug up near the spot. St. Stephen's priory for lepers
was founded in the south suburbs, at a very early period,
on the site now occupied by the Blue Coat Hospital;
and a Benedictine priory is said to have been founded
by King John on the south side of the city, and made a
cell to the English abbey at Bath. Bourke mentions a
house of White friars and a preceptory of Knights Templars,
of which not the slightest vestiges can be traced.
Of the ancient walls of the city, with their circular
towers, there are considerable remains near the North
bridge, and in the rear of the foundry the wall is perfect:
of the fortifications in and near it, the last, which was
called from its founder Skiddy's castle, was taken down
in 1785. A mint was established in the city after the
English settlement, but the specimens of coinage are
extremely scarce; the earliest extant are silver pennies
and halfpennies of the reign of Edw. I., which have on
the obverse the king's head within a triangle, with the
inscription EDW: R: ANGL: DUX: HYB:. Among
the writers who have contributed to elevate the literary
character of the city, exclusively of professional writers,
are Arthur Murphy, the translator of Tacitus, and author
of several successful tragedies and comedies; O'Keefe,
the writer of comedies; Edw. Murphy, editor of Lucian;
the celebrated Arthur O'Leary, equally distinguished for
his wit, learning, and eloquence, and his biographer the
Rev. Thos. England; Thos. Crofton Croker, author of
"Fairy Legends" and other works illustrative of Irish
customs and superstitions; James Roche, author of several
articles on the history and descent of the principal
commoners of the empire; Dr. Wood, a writer on natural
history and on the antiquities of Ireland; John
O'Driscol, late judge of Dominica, who published a
work in two volumes on the state of Ireland; the Rev.
Thos. Townsend, author of the statistical survey of the
county of Cork; Dr. Maginn, a principal contributor
to Fraser's Magazine; the Rev. Dr. Hincks, alreadynoticed
as a former minister of the Presbyterian congregation
in connection with the Synod of Munster;
Henry Uppington, a writer on various scientific subjects;
the writer of the articles in Fraser's Magazine,
under the fictitious name of Father Prout, is a
native of this city; Richard Milliken, both a poet and
a painter; Miss Milliken, writer of several novels. Of
eminent painters, Cork is the native place of the celebrated
Barry, professor of Painting in the Royal AcaCOR
demy of London, a man equally memorable for his
genius, his eccentricities, and his spirit of independence;
also Butt, Grogan, Ford, and McAlise: Hogan the
sculptor is a native of this city. Cork gives the title
of Earl to the senior branch of the noble family of
Boyle.