THE IRISH IN NINETEENTH CENTURY COVENTRY Two Volumes Volume 1 Thomas Joseph Prendergast A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences Ulster University in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Arts & Humanities April 2019 I confirm that the word count of this thesis is less than 100,000 words 1 Contents Volume 1 Introduction: Aims and Coventry rationale P. 12 Chapter 1 Irish settlement: perspectives, population and evidence P. 32 Chapter 2 Character of Coventry P. 73 Chapter 3 Circumstances of the Irish in Coventry P. 97 Chapter 4 Identity P. 152 Chapter 5 Irish household structure, Irish community attributes and spatial expression in years of heightened arrival 1841-1861 P. 207 Chapter 6 Irish household structure, Irish community attributes and spatial expression in years of adjustment and settlement 1871-1901 P. 237 Chapter 7 Conclusion P. 258 Bibliography P. 299 2 Volume 2 Appendices 1. Families in Much Park Street in 1841; Irish weavers in Coventry P. 1 2. Persons of interest P. 5 3. Hill Street P. 37 4. Newspaper reports on Irish behaviour P. 42 5. Local and visiting preachers P. 70 6. Catholic activity P. 79 7. Workhouse, Barracks and other Institutions P. 96 8. Reports and Newspaper Articles P. 107 9. Later century Politics and Nationalism P. 114 10. Anti-Catholic ferment on national issues in Coventry P. 125 11. Convents, St. Mary’s Church, the Coventry School Board P. 131 12. Aspects of family life P. 140 13. Residential Differentiation; Staple Industries P. 148 14. Conditions in pre-Famine Ireland P. 154 15. Attention to and sympathy for Ireland’s affairs in Coventry P. 157 16. Gatherings, Excitements, Riots P. 164 17. Study Area parameters P. 166 18. Nineteenth century attitudes, Promotion of the prejudicial stereotype P. 176 19. Understandings of ethnicity community and behaviour P. 186 20. Census of 1911 P. 194 3 Tables Chapter 1 Vol. 2: Table 1.1 The ‘Top Twenty’ Irish towns in Britain in 1851 P. 209 Table 1.2 City and Irish-born population in Census and Study Area 1841-1911 P. 210 Chapter 2 Vol. 2: Table 2.1 Type of Looms 1838 P. 211 Table 2.2 Number of Looms and Employees in Six Principal Firms in 1857 P. 211 Table 2.3 Steam factories approved for construction 1852-1857 P. 211 Chapter 3 Vol. 2: Table 3.2 A classic stereotype: Movement and settlement of Burke family P. 212 Table 3.3 The Malone Family transition over three generations P. 214 Table 3.4 Influence of a spouse on settlement decision. Thomas Black and Family P. 216 Table 3.5 An Irish-born in an English Household. William Widlake, Irish-Born son, of retired soldier Thomas Widlake, H3C9 Little Park St. 1881 P. 217 Table 3.6 Chelsea Pensioners 1851 with Irish Connection P. 218 Table 3.7 Warwickshire Registration Districts 1851, Irish-born as % of population P. 218 Table 3.8 Strength of Galegin and Burn Households in Much Park Street, 1851 P. 219 Table 3.9 Chain Migration as shown by four Households in 1851 Census P. 220 Table 3.10 Pathways of Silk Workers to Coventry P. 221 Table 3.11 Occupations with the Predominant Silk Industry differentiated, 1841 P. 222 Table 3.12 Diarrhoeal Mortality in selected parts of Coventry 1858 P. 223 Table 3.13 Population of Palmer Lane 1841-1901 P. 223 Table 3.14 A ‘Court Cluster’. Residents in Court 4 Palmer Lane 1881 P. 224 Table 3.15 The dominance of Irishcom in Caldicotts Yard, West Orchard 1861 P. 225 Table 3.16 Irishcom in Gosford Street shown in Figure 3.4 and 3.5 in 1861 P. 227 Table 3.17 Irishcom Residents 1861-1871: Court 17 Much Park P. 228 Table 3.18 Irishcom Residents 1861: Court 13 St. Johns Street P. 229 Table 3.19 Court 8 Well Street: Irishcom Residents of its 27 houses 1861-91 P. 230 Chapter 4 Vol. 2: Table 4.1 Marriage Register Parish of St. Osburg’s 1850 and until 30th March 1851 with details of married couples matched where possible to Census of 1851 P. 232 Table 4.2 Hopkins Household 1851-1871 showing Catholic identity & census ‘Deterioration’ of household in twenty years P. 234 Table 4.3 Benedictine Monks serving Coventry from Hill Street Priory P. 235 Table 4.4 Baptisms administered Chapel of St. Mary & St. Laurence 1835-1841 P. 236 Table 4.5 Catholic Attendance at Public Worship, and Irish-born 30th March 1851 P. 237 Table 4.6 Social and occupational progress: John Kelly, City Councillor and his son Walter Kelly Abbot President of the English Benedictines P. 238 Chapter 5 Vol. 2: Table 5.1 Irish-born and Irishcom numbers residing in Irish Households and also residing in English Households containing Irish in Study Area, 1841-61 P. 240 Table 5.2 Irish-born male change in Coventry 1841-1901 P. 241 Table 5.3 Marital status of solo Heads, of Heads with spouses and whether Irishcom or Irish-born in Irish Households 1841-1901 P. 242 4 Table 5.4 Percentage distribution of family size in Irish Households Coventry 1841- 1901 and for Coventry Households in 1851 and 1881 P. 243 Table 5.5 Size of Irish Households, size of Coventry Households in 1851 and 1881 P. 244 Table 5.6 Percentage of Irish Households and Coventry Households in each Household unit size according to the frequency of Heads Family sizes for 1851 P. 245 Table 5.7 Number, birthplace and condition of yet to marry children in Irish Household head families 1841-1901 P. 246 Table 5.8 Age of the yet to marry child first in the family to be born 1841-1901 P. 247 Table 5.9 Status of Irish Household Heads’ Grown-up co-residing children who were ever married or if unmarried had offspring and the nature and occurrence of their families 1851-1901 P. 248 Table 5.10 Irish Households: Arrangement and occasions occurring of co-resident types according to the size of the Heads Family 1861 P. 249 Table 5.11 The percentage holding at each Lodger and Kin size according to the heads marital status for Irish Households 1851-61 P. 250 Table 5.12 Marital status of solo Lodgers, Kin, and Visitors and whether they were Irishcom or Irish-born in Irish Households and English Households containing Irish 1841-61 P. 251 Table 5.13 The number of English Households containing Irish in Coventry 1841-1901 and the number of Irish-born and Irishcom therein P. 252 Table 5.14 Heads of English Households containing Irish with size of household, number of Irish co-residing and their relationship to the Head 1861 P. 253 Table 5.15 An adjunct Table to Table 5.14. The Irish-born children of heads of English Households containing Irish 1861 P. 255 Table 5.16 Irish county of birth. Number who supplied ‘Ireland’ only 1851-1901 P. 256 Table 5.17 Birthplace of Irishcom whose relationship to a Head was that of an unmarried Son or Daughter 1851-1901 P. 257 Table 5.18 Social classification of Irish-born and Irishcom 1841-1861 P. 258 Table 5.19 Male-to-female ratios for Irish-born, Irishcom and Host1841-1901 P. 259 Table 5.20 Marital condition by age of Irishcom 1851-61 and from the Census abstracts for Coventry the condition of the Host population 1851-61 P. 260 Table 5.21 Marital condition and age of Irish Household Heads 1841-61 and similar for Coventry Host Household Heads 1851 P. 261 Table 5.22 Social classification of Irish-born and Irishcom 1841-1861 P. 262 Table 5.23 Irish-Born, and British-born ‘Irish’ weavers in the ribbon trade 1841-1891 P. 263 Table 5.24 Irish-born male & female heads of Irish Households assigned to Classes 1 & 2 on the basis of occupation or employment of extra staff in 1851-71 P. 264 Table 5.25 Social classification of Irish-born heads of Irish Households 1841-1861 and similar for Coventry Host Household Heads 1851 P. 265 Table 5.26 Collated occupations of male Irish-born married Heads of Irish Households in Class 3 for 1841-1861 P. 266 Table 5.27 St. Michael & St. John/Holy Trinity 1841 P. 268 Table 5.28 St. Michael & St. John/Holy Trinity 1861 P. 270 Chapter 6 Vol. 2: Table 6.1 Irishcom and Irish-born numbers residing in Irish Households and also residing in English Households containing Irish in Study Area, 1871-1901 P. 276 Table 6.2 Later century transition in Coventry P. 276 5 Table 6.3 Percentage of Irish Households and Coventry Households in each Household unit size according to the frequency of Heads Family sizes for 1881 P. 277 Table 6.4 Marital status of solo Lodgers, Kin, and Visitors and whether they were Irishcom or Irish-born 1871-1901 P. 278 Table 6.5 Heads of English Households containing Irish with size of household, number of Irish co-residing and their relationship to the Head 1881 P. 279 Table 6.6 An adjunct Table to Table 6.5. The Irish-born children of heads of English Households containing Irish 1861 P. 281 Table 6.7 Age and Sex structure of Irishcom and also Coventry Host Population expressed in percentage form 1871-1901 P. 282 Table 6.8 Marital condition by age of Irishcom 1871-1901 and from the Census abstracts for Coventry the condition of the Host population 1871-1901 P.