KILKENNY, a county, in the western part of the province of Leinster, bounded on
the east by the counties of Carlow and Wexford, on
the north by the Queen's county, on the west by the
county of Tipperary, and on the south by the county
ofWaterford. It extends from 52° 14' to 52° 51'
(N. Lat.), and from 6° 56' to 7° 38' (W. Lon.); and
comprises an area, according to the Ordnance survey,
of 536,686 statute acres, of which 417,117 are cultivated
land, and 96,569 bog and mountain. The population, in
1821, was 158,716; and in 1831, 169,945. According
to Ptolemy, this county was originally inhabited by the
Brigantes and the Caucoi, and it afterwards formed part
of the kingdom of Ossory. The name of Uisraigagh, mo
dernized into Ossory, is supposed to be expressive of its
local situation, being compounded of the Gaelic words
uisge, "water," and rioghachd, "kingdom," as lying be
tween the rivers. The portion between the Nore and
Barrow is sometimes excluded from the kingdom of
Ossory, and was anciently styled Hy Creoghain Gabhran;
the southern part of the county was sometimes called
Comor na tri uisge, "the high district of the three wa
ters." The countries of Ely O'Carrol and Hy Carthin
comprised some of the north-western portion of this
county. This kingdom was sometimes tributary to
Leinster, and sometimes to Munster. After the arrival
of the English, it formed one of the counties into which
King John divided the portion of the island that acknow
ledged his sovereignty. At the commencement of the
reign of James I., it was chiefly occupied by the Graces,
the O'Brenans, the Wandesfords, the Butlers, the O'Sheas,
the Rooths, the Harpurs, the Walshes of the mountains,
and the Shortals.
This county is partly in the diocese and province of
Cashel, and partly in the diocese of Leighlin, but chiefly
in and comprehending the greater part of the diocese of
Ossory, in the province of Dublin. For purposes of
civil jurisdiction it is divided into the baronies of Gowran,
Ida, Fassadineen, Kells, Galmoy, Cranagh, Iverk,
Knocktopher, and Shillelogher. It contains the incor
porated market-town and post-towns of Callan, Thomastown,
and Gowran; the market-town and post-towns of CastlecoKIL
mer, Durrow, and Graig; the ancient disfranchised
boroughs of Knocktopher and Innistiogue, of which the
latter is a post-town, and the former has a penny post;
and the post-towns of Freshford, Ballyragget, Urlingford,
Johnstown, and Goresbridge. Among the largest
villages are those of Piltown, Clough, Bennettsbridge,
and Rossbercon, besides the large suburb of Ferrybank,
opposite the city of Waterford. Prior to the Union
this county sent twelve members to the Irish parliament,-
two knights of the shire, and two representatives
for each of the boroughs of Callan, Gowran, Thomastown,
Knocktopher, and Innistiogue: but since that
period its representation has been confined to the two
members for the county at large. The constituency, as
registered at the summer assize of 1836, consists of 266
£50, 108 £20, and 864 £10 freeholders; 27 £50, 12
£20, and 189 £10 leaseholders; and 5 £50 and 6
£20 rent-chargers: making a total of 1477 voters. The
election takes place at Kilkenny. It is included in the
Leinster circuit: the assizes are held at Kilkenny; and
the general quarter sessions at Kilkenny, Castlecomer,
and Thomastown. The county court-house and the
county gaol are in Kilkenny, and there is a bridewell at
Thomastown. The number of persons charged with
criminal offences and committed to the prisons, in 1835,
was 574, and of civil bill committals, 21. The local
government is vested in a lieutenant and 17 deputy lieutenants,
of whom 13 are county magistrates, and there
are also 105 other magistrates; besides whom there are
the usual county officers, including two coroners. There
are 50 constabulary police stations, having in the whole
a force of one stipendiary magistrate, 10 chief and 51
subordinate constables, and 341 men, with 22 horses,
the expense of maintaining which is defrayed equally by
Grand Jury presentments and by Government. There
are 30 stations of the peace preservation police, consisting
of two magistrates, 3 chief and 18 subordinate constables,
and 112 men, with 2 horses, maintained at an
expense, in 1835, of £6963. The county infirmary and
fever hospital are at Kilkenny, and there are also fever
hospitals at Freshford, Kells, Kilmaganny, and Rossbercon,
and dispensaries at Kilkenny, Castlecomer,
Ballyragget, Graig, Freshford, Kilmanagh, Knocktopher,
Kilmaganny, Thomastown, Ida, Kells and Stonyford,
Gowran, Callan, Durrow, Johnstown, Kilmacow, Urlingford,
Whitechurch, and Innistiogue, maintained by
equal subscriptions and Grand Jury presentments. The
amount of the Grand Jury presentments, for 1835, was
£29,793. 14. 8½., of which £2603. 11. 6. was for the
public roads of the county at large; £5907. 19. 1. for the
public roads, being the baronial charge; £2387. 6. 9.
in repayment of loans advanced by Government;
£7609. 19. 1. for officers salaries, public establishments,
&c.; and £11,284. 18.3½. for the police. In the
military arrangements this county is included in the
eastern district.
An argillaceous soil may be considered as predominant
throughout the county, within the limits of which
there is very little ground unfit for tillage, or which
does not form good meadow or pasture. The northern
part consists chiefly of a moory turf, a few inches deep,
incumbent on a bed of stiff yellow or whitish clay, which
is the worst soil in the county, and the only kind liable
to be injured by surface water. More southerly, the soil
is in general light, covering an argillaceous schistus.
The northern part of the barony of Gowran is similar
in quality, until its hills subside into a rich plain covered
by good loam of various kinds. An excellent soil for the
growth of wheat pervades the southern part of this barony
from the Barrow to the Nore; its western portion
consists of low hills or gently sloping grounds of good
soil, dry, and sometimes deep, but diminishing in quality
as it approaches the latter of those rivers. That to the
west of the Nore, below the city of Kilkenny, is a clayey
loam immediately over a bed of limestone. In general,
the nearer the limestone is to the surface, the poorer the
soil; but as this kind of ground, along the banks of the
river, produces close and green herbage, and is extremely
dry, it seems calculated by nature to form the best kind
of sheepwalks. A light soil appears all round the city
of Kilkenny, frequently rising into hills of sand and
gravel. Along the banks of the Nore, northwards, good
meadow ground is found, apparently formed by aquatic
depositions: some of it consists of a deep blackish loam,
apparently the produce of decayed vegetables, and inducing
the inference that the Nore, formerly obstructed
by rocks or other natural impediments which the impetuosity
of its water had ultimately broken down, was
once an expansive lake, whose edges may still be traced
round the flat plain inclining towards Freshford.
Achadh-ur, or "the Field of Water," the old name for
Freshford, strengthens this conclusion. The northwestern
portion of the county is chiefly occupied by
hills, the soil of which, though not deep, is of good
quality and productive of fine herbage. From the
whitish appearance of these calcareous hills, the district
was probably called Geal-Magh, "the white field,"
corrupted into Galmoy. The country declines northwards
into a varied plain of still better soil, until it is
bounded by a branch of the Bog of Allen: the western
part, with a varied surface and a limestone bottom,
possesses all the gradations between a stiff, yet rich,
clayey soil and a light gravel. Proceeding southwards,
the fertility of the land increases as it approaches the
Suir, on the margin of which is some of the richest and
deepest ground in the county. Some parts of this
southern district consist of low hills covered by a light
dry soil, producing good crops; and, as the soil has a
large proportion of argill, it is peculiarly productive on
the application of calcareous manure. There is a considerable
extent of mountain land in the county, much
of which is unimproved: all the hills, when they rise a
little above the calcareous districts, incline to a moory
surface, and when neglected produce little but heath.
The quantity of peat is inconsiderable; by far the
largest tract, amounting to 1000 acres, is in the northwestern
extremity: several small tracts, from 30 to 50
acres each, are scattered in various parts; the whole
may be estimated at about 1500 acres, not including
mountain ground, the surface of which is often stripped
for fuel. A bed of marl has been found in a bog between
two strata of black peat; also three strata of bog
separated by alternate beds of indifferent marl. Some
of the lesser bogs maybe cut to a depth of 20 feet:
considerable quantities of oak, fir, and birch are found
in them. A stratum of bog has been found 33 feet beneath
the surface, covered with the following strata;
-vegetable mould, 3 feet; marl with black stones,
15 feet; yellow clay and hard gravel, 15 feet. There
are no loughs of any extent: in the parish of CloghKIL
manta are some small lakes, here called Loughans,
which are formed by the surface water in winter. The
best land in the county, most of which has a limestone
bottom, is applied to the growth of wheat, which is the
predominant crop. Barley is usually sown after it:
bere is not in general cultivation. Oats are cultivated
in all parts of the county: the species most commonly
used is the Irish, a hardy but small grain, which does
not shed easily. Rye, which is but little cultivated, is
usually sown on land that has been pared and burned,
and produces fine crops on mountainous ground.
Potatoes are everywhere grown, and all the manure of
the county is applied in their culture; but the most approved
is that from the farm-yard, though the sweepings
of the streets of Kilkenny are purchased at a high
price, and other manures consist of composts of various
kinds; lime only is sometimes used. In the barony of
Iverk, and everywhere within reach of the coast, or of
the Suir, sea-wrack and sand are generally used. Green
crops are very rare, being cultivated only by some of the
principal gentry and a few wealthy farmers. Manure is
seldom used for any but the potatoe crop: when
exhausted by repeated tillage, the land is too frequently
left to recruit itself by a natural process; grass and
clover seeds are, however, sometimes sown, and the advantages
are beginning to be appreciated.
In the best cultivated parts of the county about onethird
of the ground is under tillage, but in the hilly
parts the proportion is much less. The use of green
food for any species of stock is almost unknown to
common farmers: many of the cattle graze abroad the
whole winter, but some are housed from Christmas to
April. In the Walsh mountains grass is kept for the
cattle, into which they are turned in the winter without
hay, straw, or shelter. The only green food used in
winter is furze tops pounded, which are commonly
given to horses, and sometimes to black cattle: the
former become fat, sleek, and fine- skinned on this food:
the sort preferred is the large French furze, but the
small Irish furze will serve. The stalks of potatoes,
dug when green, are given to cattle: sheep are remarkably
fond of them, and particularly of the apples, which
fatten greatly. The Jerusalem artichoke has also been
used successfully as food for sheep. Less attention
seems to be paid to pasture than to other agricultural
objects, being, in the tillage districts, such fields as will
no longer bear corn, let out without any seeds. The
mountain pastures are left in a state of nature, unenclosed
and unimproved. Sheep are banished from
many places for want of fences, and the land seems to
be applied to no purpose, being left to the spontaneous
growth of heath. These heaths are very liable to take
fire in dry summers by accidental circumstances, and
cause some damage: the fire, however, eventually
improves the surface, when not too intense, and
sometimes is kindled for that purpose. That the
hilly tracts are capable of being improved by culture
is testified by the aspect of the small enclosures near
mountain villages, where the natural grass by a little
shelter and manure becomes surprisingly green. Improvement
is not much impeded by rights of common,
as there are few persons to assert such rights, if
they exist, and landlords seem to have an undisputed
authority in partitioning lands, which, though grazed in
common, confer no legal claim on the occupier. Irriga-
tion is but little attended to, although, where it has been
practised judiciously, it has been found very advantageous.
There is a considerable portion of land,
bordering both on the Suir and the Nore, which is
embanked and chiefly used for meadows: the most
remarkable is. in the parish of Roer, where the embankment
is about two miles long; some of it is pastured,
and was formerly tilled, but the greater part is constantly
kept in meadow: it is intersected by open drains communicating
with a main drain connected with the river by
sluices. Besides this district, the most extensive dairies
are in the barony of Iverk and principally around the
Walsh mountains: this tract has a good depth of soil,
much inclined to grass. So late as the close of the
last century, the principal family residing in it consisted
of five branches, holding among them more than 2000
acres; they retained a remarkable degree of clanship,
by constantly intermarrying, and were very comfortable
and hospitable. But from the practice of subdividing
the land amongst their descendants, the farms have
become very small and the occupiers poorer. The land,
however, is much improved: the chief crops are oats
and potatoes, and great numbers of cattle and pigs
are bred here. The milch cows are principally fed on
potatoes during the summer, and the butter is of a
superior quality, and brings a good price both at
Waterford and Kilkenny, whence it is exported to England.
The pigs are mostly fed with buttermilk and
potatoes and grow to a large size: vast numbers are
annually shipped for England, and during the season
the provision merchants of Kilkenny and Waterford
obtain a large supply from the barony of Iverk.
Throughout the whole of that part of the barony which
is not immediately adjacent to the city of Waterford;
the population is more or less connected by ties of
consanguinity, rarely marrying out of their own district.
Limestone to a great extent is burned for
manure; and limestone sand and gravel, raised from
the numerous escars and screened, were formerly
esteemed nearly as efficacious as lime, and are still
frequently employed when found at a distance from
limestone rocks. Before the practice of burning lime
became general, they formed the principal manures,
for which reason large excavations are to be found
whence these substances were raised: the most remarkable
is in the barony of Iverk, where, from the magnitude
of the old excavations, they have been in use
probably for a thousand years. A manure somewhat
similar is used, under the name of Kilmacow sand, for
hilly ground: it is carried up the Nore to Innistiogue,
and thence drawn for some miles up the hills. Marl is
found in great quantities in different parts, generally
mixed with fragments of limestone; but, in consequence
of the higher estimation in which lime is held,
it is not in general use. River sand, raised below Ross,
is more extensively used than marl. At the edge of
the river, near Ringville, black mud, containing the
decayed remains of vegetables, is raised, and proves an
excellent manure for light ground; some sand is also
taken up, containing thin broken shells of a species of
tellina; the earth of old ditches and from boggy ground
is often mixed with it. A compost of lime and earth
is common as a top dressing; and the scrapings of
roads, and furze, fern and straw, spread on lanes and
other thoroughfares, are also used. Burning was the
usual way of bringing land into tillage, and was encouraged
by many landlords under particular restrictions,
but is now generally discountenanced, as the
carbon and all volatile particles are dissipated by the fire.
The use of oxen in the plough seems to be rather
increasing, though the proportion is very small in comparison
with horses. The native horses are lively, active,
hardy, and well adapted to the uses of the farmer:
few are bred in the county; of English breeds the
Suffolk is most in request. The attention paid to the
breeding of cattle is inferior to that of the adjoining
counties of Carlow and Waterford, and some parts of
Tipperary: the common breed is a cross between the
old Irish and Lancashire, and some districts have the
old native cow. Some noblemen and gentlemen have
a superior kind, being a cross between the Irish and
Durham; and crosses between the Irish and Devon
and Ayrshire and Durham breeds appear to suit both
the soil and climate. But those that attain the"
largest size are a cross between the Limerick and Durham,
which fatten speedily and weigh well. The little
Kerry cow is much sought after in some of the dairy
districts, in which it improves much, and when crossed
with the Ayrshire is very profitable to the small farmer.
The breed of sheep is generally little improved; the
New Leicester and Ayrshire breeds are found in the
lawns and demesnes of some gentlemen, but are comparatively
few in number. Pigs have been greatly
improved by the introduction of the Berkshire and
other superior breeds. In all the minor departments
of rural economy, except the rearing of poultry, the
farmers are very deficient. The fences generally are
very indifferent, principally consisting of an old broad
mound of earth (called a ditch), with a deep and broad
trench on one or both sides, or of dry and broken stone
walls, except in the immediate neighbourhood of Kilkenny
or on the farms of gentlemen, where in many
instances quickset hedges show to great advantage:
the parks and demesnes are mostly enclosed with high
stone walls. The county is very deficient in woods and
plantations, although there are some of considerable
extent around Kilkenny, Durrow, Desart, Woodstock,
Besborough, Castlecomer, Thomastown, and other
places on the banks of the Nore. Callan and its neighbourhood,
once so celebrated for its extensive woods,
is now denuded; but from Kilkenny to Callan the
fences appear better and the land more judiciously
divided than in other parts. Planting is by no means
general, except around demesnes. An agricultural
society, the first midland society formed, has been
long established, of which, perhaps, the most beneficial
result is the improvement of agricultural implements,
which has been accomplished to a considerable degree.
As the soil is seldom much raised above the rock
that forms its basis, it is not difficult to trace the substrata:
these are granite, silicious schistus, silicious
breccia, argillite, sandstone and limestone. The granite
hills form a very small part of the county, being merely
the extension of the Wicklow group, which, including
Mount Leinster and Blackstairs in the county of Carlow,
forms the hills of Brandon between the Barrow
and the Nore, and ultimately terminates in the low and
secondary hills which unite to the south, towards the
mountains of Waterford. The stratum which usually
joins the granite is silicious schistus, and lower down
argillaceous slate. The granite varies in shades of grey,
red, and yellow, and in the fineness of its grain; the
best is of a light yellow tint, finely grained and compact;
black mica is found in it, together with specks of
iron ore and crystals of schorl: it can be raised in
blocks of large size, and may be chiselled into any
form. Below Innistiogue, part of the hills are composed
of granite; on their lower part the yellow mica is
sometimes found by itself in large masses. The detached
stones which form the surface of these hills are
called fire-stones, and are worked into hearth-stones,
and also applied to other purposes. Pieces of a very
fine deep red and compact jasper, of various sizes, the
largest ten or twelve inches long and half as broad,
have been discovered in the granite district. The silicious
schistus is blackish, sometimes containing grains of
quartz; when broken it has a shivery texture and thin
lamellę, and is hard enough to scratch glass. The base
of Brandon Hill, and of that extending thence to Graig,
is composed of it; between Innistiogue and Ross it is
quarried out of the steep banks of the river. New Ross
is mostly built of it: the dip of these quarries is eastward.
Martial pyrites frequently lies between the beds
of this stone: the strata are also intersected by broad
veins of quartz: iron ochre occurs in it, and it is much
tinged by oxyde of iron. A few specks of copper are
sometimes perceived, but no vein has been discovered.
Fine-grained galena has also been detected in it, in
small quantities and in detached fragments. Silicious
breccia forms many of the lower hills: it consists principally
of fine quartz sand, united by a silicious cement
and enveloping rounded pebbles of quartz, from the
size of a pea to two or three inches in diameter, and of
a reddish tinge: it seems to be one of the stones styled
by Kirwan semiprotolites, and wherever its base can be
discovered, it appears to lie on silicious schistus. This
stone is constantly accompanied by red argillite, which
covers the sides of the hills, but scarcely ever the summits:
it prevails on the northern sides of these hills,
and from its appearance is sometimes called red slate.
The hills of breccia run southward from, the Nore,
spreading to thesouth and south-east till they approach
the Suir: the great hill of Drumdowney, bounded by
the Ross river, forms the extremity of the principal
range. The stone here is of a fine grain, and is raised
for mill-stones, which are principally quarried on the
top of the hill of Drumdowney, where an enclosure of
about 300 acres has been made for the purpose: they
are sent coastwise to Cork, Dublin, and other ports;
the dimensions of the largest are five feet in diameter
and sixteen inches in the eye. This stone is sometimes
accompanied by a fine-grained white sandstone, consisting
chiefly of quartz with a silicious cement: its chief
defect is that the strata are very thin. Slaty argillite
also often forms the lower parts of those hills, varying
from reddish brown to green or blue, but being very
heavy is not well adapted for roofing. In the western
part of the county there is an extensive quarry of excellent
slates, scarcely exceeded by any in colour and
lightness. The northern part, including the whole of
Fassadineen and the upper part of Gowran, consists
either of ferruginous argillite, or of silicious schistus:
of the latter, stones are raised in several quarries for
the purpose of flagging; the former is always found
above the coal, and is thence called coal-cover. It is a
P
brittle blackish, slate impregnated with iron ochre, and
more or less inlaid with, nodules of iron ore; it extends
from the collieries to the south and west, forming the
banks of the Dinan almost to its confluence with the
Nore. The same stone forms lower hills which stretch
towards the river, hut in that part it is generally found
of a fine soft grain, some of which is quarried for polishing
marble, and the finer specimens are sometimes used
as hones. In several parts are numerous escars, mostly
near the banks of the rivers; some are seen near
Urlingford, approaching the verge of the Bog of Allen,
and they are also frequently found far removed from
either river or bog; they are mostly composed of
rounded masses of limestone, quarts, clay-slate, and
ironstone, but most commonly of the first. They form
gently rising hills, and may be traced from the banks
of the Shannon, in the county of Limerick, through
Tipperary and Kilkenny, to the banks of the Suir,
whence they range through Carlow, Kildare, and near
to the sea shore a little to the south of Dublin: along
their entire extent the surface is generally fertile and
very picturesque.
The Kilkenny collieries are situated two miles north
from Castlecomer, twelve from Kilkenny, eight from Carlow,
and forty-one from Dublin, and extend in length
from Cooleban to the river beyond Maesfield, continuing
thence into the Queen's county. In this county the
coal field may be estimated at six miles in length by
five in breadth, and the collieries are distinguished by
the names of Firoda, Ballyouskill, Clogh, and Maesfield.
The mines were discovered in 1728. A great number
of men had been for several years employed in raising
iron ore, which was smelted with charcoal from the
numerous woods of the country; and having worked
through the seam, came unexpectedly to a vein of coal.
The first pits were sunk near the southern termination of
the coal field, and were consequently unprofitable; others
were then opened on the ridge of hill at Cooleban, where
three separate seams were worked at little expense till
exhausted. The present colliery is in the plain westward
from Cooleban, and is much flooded: two powerful
steam-engines are constantly at work, but the water
frequently accumulates to such a height as to interrupt
the operations. In this field are 24 pits, varying from
31 to 39 yards in depth, and only the upper seam of
coal has yet been worked, which varies from 34 to 38
inches in thickness: more than 700 men are constantly
employed. The soil of the entire district is a stiff clay,
below which is a rock composed of argillite and silicious
limestone, resting on an argillaceous deposit here called
grey or curled rock, below which is black shale, with
thin layers of rich iron ore, and beneath these are thin
layers of slate, here forming the roof of the coal. The
seat of the coal is a soft, black, brittle stone, or fireclay,
containing impressions of various plants: it has
never been applied to any beneficial purpose, although,
when pulverised and worked into cement, it becomes
fire-proof, and would be very valuable for crucibles,
glass-pots, and other vessels exposed to intense heat.
Since the woods of the country failed, no attempt has
been made to smelt the iron ore, and vast quantities lie
scattered about in every part. Wheaten bread is the
principal food of the colliers, which they take with
them into the pits: their earnings are generally consumed
in the purchase of spirits, whence it happens
that, though their wages are higher than those of other
workmen, they are the most wretched class in the county.
Their habitations are miserably mean, being generally
built and covered with sods, sometimes without chimneys
or windows; their children naked, themselves ill
clad and unhealthy, few arriving at the age of fifty. A
consumption of the lungs is the most fatal disorder
among them: those who work in wet pits live longest,
as they do not inhale so much of the volatile dust of
the coal. The excellent qualities of this coal for particular
uses occasion a demand for it in all parts of the
country. It burns dully, with little flame, but lying
like charcoal in an ignited state for seven or eight hours,
casts a steady and strong heat. No fuel dries malt so
well, and this without any preparation; it is excellent
for the forge and for all works in iron; indeed in
every manufacture in which steady heat is required
void of smoke, it cannot be excelled; nor does it dirty
the flues where it is used. On being analysed, it appears
to approach nearly to pure carbon, without any bituminous
matter; the proportions being 97.3 per cent.
of pure carbon, and the remainder uninflammable ashes.
Iron has been successfully smelted with it; and it seems
peculiarly calculated for cementing steel and for potteries.
In the town of Castlecomer very good, tenacious, brown
potters' clay is found, and different clays for potters'
use exist in the neighbourhood: a pottery commenced
here many years since failed from want of capital.
Indications of coal present themselves in other parts,
extending for a considerable distance into Queen's
county, and in one direction stretching to the border of
Carlow. Yellow ochre is found in different parts; pipeclay
of good quality, and potters' clay lie in the southern
part of the county as well as in the northern.
Manganese is considerably dispersed: it is seen on the
banks of the Barrow, and in limestone quarries, particularly
near Freshford. Of copper, no certain indications
have been found: lead ore has been met with in
small quantities between Innistiogue and Ross; large
pieces of fine-grained galena are frequently taken up
near Knocktopher, imbedded in limestone quarries.
But the only lead mine ever worked was in the park of
Floodhall, which was continued for some time with
considerable profit: the ore was rich, and contained a
considerable quantity of silver. Limestone is the base
of the central part of the county, and of detached portions
of its north-western and south-western extremities.
The quality of the stone varies considerably: that to
the north of Gowran, which appears good to the eye,
cannot be burned into lime, on account of its hardness,
or of the quantity of silicious sand which it contains.
Near Callan is a kind of white limestone, splitting into
laminę, which is little esteemed: near Durrow, the
stone is full of flint. All the limestone of this county
contains impressions of shells or corallines: it is stratified
more horizontally than the rocks around it usually
are, and appears to fill all the lower lands between the
hills; no other stone lies above it, and it is generally so
deep that scarcely any other has been found beneath it.
In most cases the limestone district is terminated by a
broad bed of gravel, composed chiefly of rolled calcareous
pebbles. The most important quarry is that
which produces the Kilkenny marble; it is called the
black quarry, and is situated about half a mile south of
the town. The stone, when polished, has a black
ground more or less varied with white marks, which
appear more conspicuously when exposed to the air;
but the jet black specimens only are esteemed at Kilkenny.
This marble contains a great variety of impressions
of madrepores, and of bivalve and turbinate
shells: the spar which occupies the place of the shells
sometimes assumes a greenish yellow colour. In some
places there are iridiscent spots: and sometimes martial
pyrites is imbedded in the marble. A small specimen
of pink fluor was found in it; but this is a very
rare occurrence. The analysis of the most common
kind gave 98 per cent, soluble in marine acid, and 2 per
cent. of a black powder of carbon, which burned without
leaving any ashes. The blocks raised at this quarry
are finished principally at a marble mill at some distance,
which presents a very elegant combination of simplicity
of structure with powers of execution: it performs the
work of forty-two men daily; water never fails, and
from the excellence of its construction it is scarcely
ever stopped on account of repairs.
The woollen manufacture owes its introduction into
the county to Pierce, Earl of Ormonde, who died in
1359, and his wife Margaret, who brought artists in
tapestry, diaper, and carpets from Flanders; some of
their tapestry is still in the castle of Kilkenny. James,
Duke of Ormonde, also incurred great expense, in the
middle of the seventeenth century, in establishing both
the linen and woollen manufacture. This latter branch
was chiefly carried on at Carrick, where it gave employment
for many years to the population of the surrounding
district: its decline is attributed to the fraudulent
practice of stretching the cloths to augment the measurement,
until the Dublin merchants refused to buy
them: the manufacture was principally carried on by
large farmers and their families. In the hilly districts
a constant manufacture of frieze and ratteen prevails:
the yarn is spun by the women; both sexes are employed
in carding the wool; and the farmers' sons, who
are taught to weave, manufacture it into cloth. On
the decline of the frieze trade, that of wool-combing
succeeded; the combers converting their coarse offal
wool into blanketing, which has gradually become a
staple branch of trade. The linen trade was introduced
towards the close of the 17th century, and prospered
for fifty or sixty years; but within the last century it
has so decayed as to leave few traces of its former prosperity,
only the coarser cloths for domestic consumption
being now made: many of the bleach-greens were converted
into mills of various kinds, but there are three still
tolerably well employed. In the hilly districts every
farmer grows a little flax for his own use, and generally
bleaches his own linen: he also often has a little hemp
to make sacking. The number of flour-mills is very
great; there are twenty-two on the Nore between Durrow
and Innistiogue; on the King's river, from Callan to the
Nore, ten; on the part of the Barrow within the county,
three or four, and several on the streams which fall into
the Suir and other great rivers. Rape-mills have been
erected, but are not profitable; the exportation of the
seed being found more advantageous than the manufacture
of the oil. The principal part of the grain raised
is sent to Dublin in the shape of flour, malt, and meal,
the preparation of which is another source of internal
wealth: the wheat and barley find a ready sale among
the numerous millers, maltsters, and distillers, so that
very little is brought to the market-house.
The rivers were formerly famous for their salmon,
much of which was sent to Dublin, both fresh and preserved
in ice; but the quantity has decreased during the
last century, caused, as is supposed, by the increased
number of mills. The salmon trout is not uncommon
in the rivers; its usual length is from eighteen to twenty
inches. The shad comes up the Nore in April and
returns in May; the sturgeon appears but rarely; porpoises
sometimes follow the salmon beyond Waterford;
the conger eel is sometimes taken; lampreys are thrown
away by the fishermen, not being even kept for bait.
All the aquatic birds usually found along the course of
large rivers are met with here: the common gull follows
their course to a great distance, devouring many insects
pernicious to the farmer, and returns to the sea at night:
the common people call it the white crow. The kingfisher
and water-ousel are not uncommon.
The river Suir forms the southern boundary of the
county for twenty miles; vessels of 100 tons navigate
it to Carrick, and of a much larger burthen to Waterford.
An act has been recently obtained for removing
rocks and other obstructions in its bed, which will enable
large vessels to proceed to Carrick. The Barrow skirts
the eastern border of the county for about twenty-six
miles. Large sums of money have been expended in
improving its navigation to Athy: the boats which ply
on it are from twenty to forty tons' burthen, but the
locks last constructed admit boats of eighty tons. The
river forms the course of the navigation, except in a few
instances, where inland cuts are connected with it. The
Nore more peculiarly belongs to this county, flowing nearly
through its central part in a winding course of not less
than forty-six miles, from the neighbourhood of Durrow
to its junction with the Barrow near Ross: after passing
Kilkenny, it receives the King's river from the west,
whence in its course by Thomastown and Innistiogue it
presents a rich variety of picturesque scenery: after its
junction with the Barrow, the united stream takes the
name of the Ross river. Like all mountain rivers, it is
subject to great floods, which are highest when the wind
has blown for some time from the north-east, accompanied
with rain: the clouds thus driven on the hills to
the north of the county, and quickly succeeding each
other, convert into torrents all the streams that feed
the Nore; on such occasions the water has risen eighteen
feet at Innistiogue. It has long been an object of
importance to establish a navigation from Kilkenny to
the sea by means of this river; much money was expended
in the attempt, and many plans proposed, but
none accomplished: the boats navigating it to Thomastown
carry thirteen or fourteen tons down the river
when it is full, and bring up ten tons, but only three or
four when the water is low; they are drawn up by eight
men, and require two more to work them. The roads
are numerous, and are generally well laid out and kept
in good repair. Several new lines have been recently
made: the principal are those from Kilkenny to Piltown,
Carrick-on-Suir, Freshford, and Roscrea respectively,
and those from Castlecomer to Ballynakill, from Callan
to Johnstown, and from Innistiogue to Waterford. The
construction of these numerous lines, particularly
through the hilly districts, has afforded to the farmer
P 2
increased facility for the carriage of lime and the conveyance
of agricultural produce to market.
The traces of antiquity are numerous. On the summit
of Tory Hill, called in Irish Slieve-Grian, or "the
Hill of the Sun," is a circular space covered with stones,
on one of which, resting on several others, is an inscription
which has given rise to much controversy. On the
summit of the Hill of Cloghmanta, which signifies "the
Stone of God," is another circular heap. Both these
monuments are much decayed. The most remarkable
cromlech is at Kilmogue, in the barony of Knocktopher;
the upper stone is 45 feet in circumference, and
is elevated six feet above the ground at its lower end,
and 15 at its tipper: the country people call it Lachan
Schal, or "the Great Altar." Numerous other cromlechs
are dispersed through various parts of the county. Not
far from the spa of Ballyspellane is a large stone, formerly
supported by several smaller: it is called Cloghbannagh,
or "the Stone of Blessing." Not far from it
is a conical stone, lying on its side. The remains of
another heap, called Cloghan-carneen, may be seen at
Ballynasliegh, near Durrow. Many human bones have
been found in the neighbourhood, and, among others, a
skeleton enclosed between flags, with a horn near it.
On the Hill of Garryduff, in Fiddown parish, is a place
called Leibe-na-cuhn, or "the Dog's Grave," around
which are the remains of ranges of stones. Several
small urns containing ashes were found in front of a
great stone in Kilbeacon parish, and in other places.
Raths are very numerous in some districts, particularly
in Galmoy and near the Nore; they are of various
shapes, and are formed of one, two, or three enclosures.
Chambers under ground, roofed with flags, are found not
accompanied by raths. At Earlsrath is a very large
fort, enclosed by a fosse, in the area of which are the
vestiges of buildings. Some large moats are observable
in several parts: the largest are at Callan, Kilkenny,
and Castlecomer; one of them, at Rathbeath, is pointed
out as the place where Hereman built his palace and was
buried. There are five round towers: one at St. Canice,
a few feet from the southern side of the cathedral;
another at Tulloherm; a third at Kilree; a fourth at
Fertagh, or Fertagh-na-geiragh; of the fifth, at Aghaviller,
only the lower part remains. In the parish of
Macullee is a place called Reighlig-na-lughduigh, or
"the Burying-place of the Black Lough," where are
some upright stones, near which human bones and several
bronze spear-heads were found. There is a faint
tradition that a great battle had been fought here.
Besides the ruined abbeys in the city of Kilkenny, there
were two very celebrated monasteries of the Cistertian
order, one at Jerpoint, the other at Graig. The Dominicans
had abbeys at Rossbercon and at Thomastown,
and the Carmelites at Knocktopher. An old abbey is
said to have stood at Barrowmount; another near
Kellymount; and a second monastery, not noticed by
writers on the monastic antiquities of Ireland, at Thomastown.
The number of castles, though much diminished by
the ravages of time and internal commotions, is still
very great, but most consist of a single tower. Granny
or Grandison Castle, in Iverk, is one of the most considerable:
it was the residence of Margaret Fitzgerald,
the great Countess of Ormond, a lady of uncommon
talents and qualifications, who is said also to have built
the castles of Balleen and Coolkill, with several others
of minor note. The Butlers owned the castles of Knocktopher,
Gowran, Dunfert, Poolestown, Nehorn, Callan,
Ballycallan, Damagh, Kilmanagh, and Urlingford.
King John built a castle at Tybrackny, where also are
the foundations of a Danish town and a tombstone with
Danish sculptures. The castles of Drumroe, Barrowmount,
and Low Grange, are said to have belonged to
Lord Galmoy; those of Stroan, Kilfane, Clofouke, Conahy,
Ballyfoyle, and Cloranke, to the family of the
Purcells; that of Cowen to the Brennans; those of
Castlemorres, Frenystown, and Foulksrath, to the families
whose names they bear; and those of Bishops-court
and Kilbline to the Currys. The Shortalls possessed
the castles of Cloghmanta, Kilrush, Tubbrid, Killeshuran,
and Balief; the two latter, as well as that of
Seskin near Durrow, are round. Gaulstown Castle
belonged to a branch of the De Burgos; Grenan, said
to have been built in the time of King John, to a family
of the name of Den; the Walshes of the mountains held
numerous castles in that district; Courtstown, Ballylench,
and some others, belonged to the Graces; Dunfert,
corrupted into Danesfort, was erected by William,
Earl Marshal. The modern mansions of the nobility
and gentry are noticed in the account of the parishes
in which they are respectively situated.
The farm-houses are generally built of stone, oftener
cemented with clay than mortar; some of the better
kind are slated, but thatch is most general; some may
be comfortable, but few are neat or cleanly. The residences
of rich farmers are generally inferior to their
means; but the greatest defect is in the offices, which
are sometimes covered with potatoe stalks, forming a
very bad thatch, and sometimes with heath, which is
not much better. Ash trees are often planted near the
farm-houses, and, towards the border of Munster, cherry
trees. The offices generally form an irregular yard in
the front of the house, wholly or at least partially occupied
by the dunghill. The most usual tenure for farms
is for thirty-one years, or three lives: some land in the
hilly districts is held at will, but tenures of this description
are decreasing; the inhabitants of these districts,
who generally live in scattered villages and hold in partnership,
usually obtaining a joint lease for years. There
is not much land in mortmain: the see of Ossory possesses
about 9300 acres, besides the manors of Durrow
and Freshford. The condition of the labouring poor is
wretched in the extreme: it is only by slow degrees
that they can procure articles of clothing; turf is their
general fuel, in consequence of the high price of coal;
potatoes, with milk when it can be procured, are almost
their only food; sometimes, but not always, salt is
added, and occasionally a herring. The clothing is
frieze and flannel; the women wear stuff petticoats;
straw hats manufactured at home, and estimated at
from sixpence to a shilling, are commonly worn by
both sexes. The English language is very generally
spoken.
At Ballyspellane, in Galmoy barony, is a mineral
spa, celebrated both for the medicinal properties imputed
to it, and by the lines written on it by the witty and
eccentric Dr. Sheridan, the friend of Swift; the water
is best drunk on the spot, as the carbonic acid gas contained
in it, and to which its effects are chiefly attributable,
soon evaporates on exposure to the air. ChalyKIL
beate spas, but not of much strength, exist near St.
John's bridge on the Nore, near the marble hill on the
same river, and at Jerpoint Abbey. In the Castlecomer
collieries there are also some weak chalybeates, and
others are to be found dispersed through the county.
Springs of very pure transparent water are also numerous;
most of them are named after some saint, and
have a patron annually held near them.