Milford Mills and the Creation of a Gentry Powerbase: the Alexanders of Co
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Milford Mills and the creation of a gentry powerbase: the Alexanders of Co. Carlow, 1790-1870 by Shay Kinsella, B.A. A thesis submitted for the degree of PhD Supervisor: Dr Carla King Department of History St. Patrick’s College, Drumcondra Dublin City University June 2015 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 (PhD) 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 work. Signed: ID No.: 11262834 Date: 30 June 2015 Contents List of Tables and Figures....................................................................................................................... iii Abbreviations .......................................................................................................................................v Abstract ................................................................................................................................................ vi Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................................... vii Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... ix Chapter 1 The origins of the Milford Alexanders .................................................................. 1 ✓ i. Alexander origins in Ireland, 1610-1736 ii. The man who came down from Belfast5: John Alexander (1736-1821) iii. John Alexander as land agent, 1769-99 iv. John Alexander and the Belfast Mills, 1787 Chapter 2 The establishment of Milford mills ...................................................................... 30 i. John Alexander I’s investment in Co. Carlow, 1784 ii. The expansion of operations at Milford, 1790-1810 iii. Final improvements at Milford, 1810-32 iv. Critical commentaries, 1810-40 Chapter 3 Entering the Carlow gentry ................................................................................... 72 i. The Carlow gentry, c. 1790 ii. The leading gentry families, 1790-1820 iii. Opening doors: the building of Milford House and marriage iv. From merchant to squire: the purchase of a landed estate, 1807-10 Chapter 4 Milford as an industrial, agricultural and social centre, 1800-40 ..................... 112 i. The early development of Milford landed estate, 1810-30 ii. Improving Milford House and demesne, 1810-40 iii.' The new community at Milford: social, working and living conditions, 1800-40 iv. 'Extraordinary improvements’: the critics’ choice, 1830-40 C hapters The Alexanders and Liberal politics, 1790-1820 .............................................. 155 i. An inherited Liberalism, 1790-1820 ii. John Alexander I and the rebellion of 1798 in Carlow iii. Finding a voice, 1799-1820 iv. Religion and education at Milford, 1810-30 Chapter 6 The early career of John Alexander II, 1802-30 ................................................ 193 i. The seeds of a new political departure, 1802-23 ii. John Alexander II as high sheriff of Carlow, 1824 iii. Choosing sides, 1828-30 iv. A Liberal embrace: Horace Rochfort’s electoral campaign in 1830 Chapter 7 The Alexanders and Carlow electoral politics, 1831-41 222 i. From Liberals to Conservatives: political change at Milford, 1831-34 ii. The elections of 1835 iii. Returning ‘evil for evil’: counter-measures against the Alexander powerbase and subsequent election campaigns, 1835-41 iv. Milford as a ‘Conservative’ estate, 1837-41 Chapter 8 Financial challenges and political gains, 1830-60 ............................................. 299 i. John Alexander & Co., 1830-50 ii. John Alexander II as landlord of the Milford estate, 1843-50 iii. Milford and the Great Famine, 1846-51 iv. ‘The Carlow boy’: the career of John Alexander II as MP, 1853-9 Chapter 9 A powerbase in decline: Milford, 1850-70 ....................................................... 373 i. The demise of John Alexander & Co., 1850-70 ii. A powerbase in decline: the financial woes of John Alexander II, 1860-70 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................... 426 Appendices A: Description of the Malting Process..................................................................... 430 B: Illustrations, photographs and plans of Milford mills, Co. Carlow.....................433 C: Photographs and Plans of Milford House, Co. Carlow .................................... 443 D: Maps showing the location of Milford landed estate, barony of Idrone West, Co. Carlow ............................................................................................... 447 E: Surviving rentals of the Milford landed estate, 1824-1900..................................449 F: Position of John Alexander I and John Alexander II on printed lists of Carlow’s grand jury, 1818-70 ...................................................................... 451 G: Election results for Carlow county, 1830-41 .................................................... 453 H: ‘Address of Fr. [Patrick] Kehoe to his congregation, from the altar of the Chapel at Leighlinbridge, on Sunday the 14th of June, 1835’ ................ 455 I: Address produced by John Alexander II in Carlow courthouse on 17 January 1853, during the nomination process for the parliamentary seat of Carlow borough....................................................................................... 457 J: Portraits and photographs of members of the Alexander family, i Milford, Co. Carlow ....... 458 Bibliography......................................................... 462 List of Tables and Figures Table2.1 Inland carriage of com from Co. Carlow to Dublin, 1761-70 ................... 35 Table 2.2 An account of the flour sent by land and canal carriage to the city of Dublin from Milford mills, 1789-97 ............................................ 49 Table 2.3 Estimated gross income of John Alexander I, c. 1840 ............................ 71 Table4.1 Size of tenancies on the Milford estate, 1831 ......................................... 114 Table 4.2 Comparative rent charges per acre on small and large holdings on the Milford estate, 1824-31 ............................................................... 115 Table 4.3 Income and arrears on the Milford Estate, 1826-42 .............................. 122 Table 7.1 Voting patterns of the Alexander tenantry, 1835-37 ............................ 289 Table 8.1 The acreage of land planted with potatoes in the parishes of Cloydagh and Tullowcreen, 1844-46 .................................................... 320 Table 8.2 Rentals and valuations of the Milford estate, 1848-52 .......................... 331 Table 8.3 Number of actions of ejectments in Co. Carlow, 1847-49 .................... 333 Table 8.4 The decline in the number of houses on Milford estate, 1841-51 ........ 335 Table 8.5 Size of tenancies on the Milford estate, 1841-51 ................................... 335 Table 8.6 Population changes on the Milford estate and in Co. Carlow, 1841-51 ................................................................................................... 337 Table 8.7 Breakdown by religious denomination of the electorate of Carlow borough during the election of April 1857 .............................. 358 Table 9.1 Estimated gross income of John Alexander II, 1864 ....................... :.... 408 Table 9.2 Comparison of estate charges to rental received on Milford estate, 1858-70 ......................................................................................... 409 Fig. 2.1 Map of Ballygowan mills, 1786 ............................................................... 41 Fig. 2.2 Map ofBallygowan mills, 1788 .................................................................42 Fig. 2.3 Map of Milford mills of Alexander & Conolly, 1795 .............................. 49 Fig. 2.4 Map of Milford mills of Alexander & Conolly, 1811 .............................. 54 Fig. 2.5 Map of Milford mills of John Alexander & Co., 1840 ............................ 58 Fig. 2.6 Overhead photograph of Strongstream mill, Milford, Co. Carlow, 2015 .................................................................................................59 Fig. 2.7 William Harvey’s sketch o f Milford mills, 1841 ........................................ 61 Fig. 2.8 Photograph, c.1980, of Milford malthouse, now demolished .................. 63 Fig. 3.1 Richard Griffith’s sketch of Milford House, 1812 ....................................... 99 Fig. 4.1 Photograph of Mil ford House (with ‘new’ wing), c. 1893 ...................... 125 Fig. 4.2 ‘Peasant girl of Carlow’: William Harvey’s sketch of a group of children around a grate in Strongstream mill, Milford, 1841 .................. 146 Fig. 9.1 Net profits of John Alexander & Co., 1859-68 ......................................... 396 Fig. 9.2 The Landed Estates Court ‘Partition Map’ for Milford, 1869 ................ 399 iv Abbreviations APMH Alexander Papers, Milford House, Co. Carlow BL The British Library, London CJ3 Journals of the House of Commons of the Kingdom of Ireland, 20 vols. (Dublin, 1796-1804) CSORP Chief Secretary’s Office, Registered Papers in the National Archives of Ireland DLB ‘Donegall Estate Letter Book 1771-74’, Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, T 1893/1 (Down, North, documents) ILCRB Irish Land Commission, Records Branch,