Fitzwilliam Core Estates of Ireland and Yorkshire: a Comparative Study, 1815-65
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National University of Ireland Maynooth ESTATE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ON THE WENTWORTH- FITZWILLIAM CORE ESTATES OF IRELAND AND YORKSHIRE: A COMPARATIVE STUDY, 1815-65 By Fidelma M. Byrne THESIS FOR THE DEGREE OF PH.D. DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF IRELAND, MAYNOOTH HEAD OF DEPARTMENT: Dr Jacinta Prunty Supervisor of research: Professor Terence Dooley January 2017 Declaration I hereby certify that this material, which I now submit for assessment on the programme of study leading to the award of Doctor of Philosophy, is entirely my own work and has not been taken from the work of others save and to the extent that such work has been cited and acknowledged within the text of my own work Signed: ______________________ (Candidate) Date: ____________________ ABSTRACT This thesis explores the internal workings of the Earls Fitzwilliam core estates in Yorkshire and Ireland from 1815 to 1865. While the Yorkshire estate benefitted from the presence of a resident landlord, the family’s Irish holding in county Wicklow enjoyed a far greater degree of autonomy devolving power to a resident land agent. This comparative study aims to examine the different management strategies introduced in each location and how decisions made impacted local communities. The configuration of the estate administration structure in each location varied considerably due to the different environments in which they operated. While the Irish estate was primarily agricultural in nature, its Yorkshire counterpart contained sizeable mineral reserves which necessitated a more complex management structure. Consequently, these differences resulted in very different power dynamics in each location. Furthermore, outside the management structure resided the tenantry of various gradations who relied on the estate for their livelihoods. Through the analysis of estate records, church records, parliamentary papers, print media and census material, this study charts the trajectory of two aristocratic landed communities located on opposite sides of the Irish Sea from the early to mid-nineteenth century. Case studies are utilised throughout to demonstrate the complex connections and difficulties that existed in each location. It exposes how the estate administration sometimes clashed over decisions concerning the management of the estates, and how decisions made ultimately affected landlord, agents and tenants as all were intrinsically connected by a shared reality. DEDICATION This thesis is dedicated to the memory of my mother Mary Byrne née Rossiter, who was a constant source of love, support and encouragement. ‘Our stories are the glue of what we are. They stitch together what we become. Our ability to tell them is fundamental to how we celebrate and examine our lives.’ Colum McCann. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS When I made the decision in 2009 to return to education, I could never for a single moment have imagined it would culminate in a Ph.D. This thesis is the product of enormous support that I have received over the past four and in many instances, seven years, from numerous people to whom I will forever be indebted. I would like to thank the Irish Research Council for awarding me a postgraduate scholarship, 2013-16, which allowed me to conduct this research and greatly alleviated the financial burden. I would like to extend my sincerest gratitude to the staff of the Department of History at Maynooth University. In particular, I would like to thank Dr Jacinta Prunty, head of the department and her predecessor, Professor Marian Lyons as well as Dr Thomas O’Connor, for their assistance and encouragement as I progressed through my studies. I would also especially like to thank Ann Donoghue for her kindness, reassuring words and advice over the past number of years. Undoubtedly, I owe the greatest debt of gratitude to my supervisor Professor Terence Dooley. As an undergraduate student, I had the good fortune to take a module in the second year of my degree which introduced me to the ‘big house’ and Professor Dooley. Since that time, he has remained a constant source of reassurance and inspiration supporting me through numerous applications and reports as well as affording me multiple opportunities for which I am eternally grateful. His enthusiasm in my research coupled with his generous advice and insight has greatly enhanced this thesis. This research relied heavily on archival material, held both publicly and privately in Ireland and Great Britain. Accordingly, I would like to thank the staff of the National Archives, Dublin, the National Library, Dublin, the Representative Church Body Library, Dublin, Wicklow County Library, Bray. I am extremely grateful to Catherine Wright, archivist and manager of Wicklow Family History Centre, Wicklow town, Catriona Curry, ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Tullow Parish Centre and Fr Raymond Gahan, parish priest of Killaveny church, for allowing me to consult the necessary parish registers. Further afield, I am deeply obliged to the staff of Sheffield Archives. In particular, I would like to thank Helen Askham, Alison Darby and Gillian Walker for their patience and perseverance over the course of the past four years as I navigated my way around nineteenth-century Yorkshire. Thanks is also due to Laura Gardiner and the staff of Rotherham Archives and Local Studies as well as the staff of Maynooth University Library. Numerous other people gave generously of their time imparting advice, answering queries, and offering support in a variety of ways. Consequently, warm thanks are due to Jerry Cassidy, Shillelagh and Paddy Osbourne, Ballingate. I would like to thank Catherine Murphy and Dr Ciarán Reilly in the Centre for the Study of Historic Irish Houses & Estates for their friendship and help at various points throughout this research. I am also extremely grateful to Dr Ciarán Reilly, Dr Chris Lawlor, Professor Terence Dooley and Professor Christopher Ridgway for inviting me to present at conferences and submit articles for publication during my time as a postgraduate student. I would like to thank my friends and family for supporting me throughout this entire process. To Neasa Hogan, Katherine Fleming and Denny, thank you for being my friends, whether you realise it or not, your words of encouragement, interest and advice kept me motivated, while the lunches, coffees and numerous telephone calls provided me with light relief and kept me grounded. To Jay, Annette and Ronan Murphy, thank you so much for all your kindness and the occasional road trip, it was a welcome distraction. To David and Sheila Kenny, thank you for sharing in the past seven years. I owe you both an immeasurable debt – your door was always open and God knows, I wore a path to it over the past two decades. In the darkest of days, you provided a safe haven and your unwavering belief in me ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS has helped me get where I am today. To Mick and Pink Mary Rossiter, thank you for all your love and support, Shillelagh has become a second home and I would be lost without it. To my best friend, Dr Regina Donlon, where do I start? It has been quite a journey which at times has tested our friendship to the limits, thankfully it is still intact. The words ‘thank you’ or ‘gratitude’ do not even begin to convey the enormous debt I owe to her. Over the past six years, you have been a confidant, sounding board, motivator and part-time counsellor. When the stress got too much, I headed west safe in the knowledge that once I crossed the Shannon everything would be okay. Thank you for accompanying me on what was, at times, a lonely road, for constantly reassuring me that it would get done; hopefully there are more successes to come. Lastly, I would like to thank my father, Jim, for allowing me the space to complete this thesis and for all the sacrifices he made for David, Karen and I over the years. My deepest regret is that my mother did not live to see any of my academic achievements. She grew up in Shillelagh, a half a mile away from Coollattin house. Thus, it is only fitting that this thesis is dedicated to her. CONTENTS Page List of Figures i List of Tables iv List of Maps vi Abbreviations vii Author’s Note vii Introduction 1 Chapter 1 A rich inheritance: the origins of the Wentworth-Fitzwilliam core estates & their management structures 22 1.1 Introduction 22 1.2 ‘The lords’ – the Earls Fitzwilliam and the Wentworth connection 23 1.3 ‘The agents’ – the men responsible for the daily management of the core estates 27 1.4 ‘The land’ – the Wentworth-Fitzwilliam estates in Wicklow and Yorkshire 32 1.5 ‘The people’ – the religious composition of the Wentworth-Fitzwilliam estates 44 1.6 Conclusion 46 Chapter 2 A chaotic world: the Wentworth-Fitzwilliam core estates of Ireland & Yorkshire, 1798-1815 49 2.1 Introduction: the historical context 49 2.2 ‘A disordered state’ – Ireland, 1798 51 2.3 ‘An agitated lot’ 58 2.5 ‘A time of peace and plenty’ – Wicklow & Yorkshire, 1815 63 2.6 Conclusion 68 Chapter 3 After Waterloo: the economic fortunes of the Wentworth- Fitzwilliam estates, 1815-45 70 3.1 Introduction 70 3.2 ‘A job for life’ – the occupational profile of each estate 72 3.3 ‘To lease or not to lease’ – tenurial practices in Wicklow and Yorkshire 80 3.4 ‘The fly in the ointment’ – the middleman system in county Wicklow 94 CONTENTS 3.5 ‘The problem children’ – Swinton Pottery and Elsecar Ironworks 106 3.6 Conclusion 116 Chapter 4 Empty promises, false hopes: the effects of political change on the Wentworth-Fitzwilliam estates, 1832-45 119 4.1 Introduction 119 4.2 ‘Confronting ecclesiastical