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The Royal Mail to Ireland ; Or, an Account of the Origin And

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The Royal Mail to Ireland ; Or, an Account of the Origin And ).( 1 S.V*S1T 0* UUHHUMMM 36" 3 1822 00108 7733 4 q\\\q <jk> THE ROYAL MAIL TO IRELAND ^ THE ROYAL MAIL TO IRELAND OR AN ACCOUNT OF THE ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE POST BETWEEN LONDON AND IRELAND THROUGH HOLYHEAD, AND THE USE OF THE LINE OF COMMUNICATION BY TRAVELLERS EDWARD WATSON WITH PLATES Omnium enim rerum principia parva sunt. LONDON EDWARD ARNOLD 1917 PREFACE Owing to the difficulties in the way of obtaining reliable information, and the small amount of leisure at the disposal of the author, the preparation of the earlier part of this history has extended over a period of many years. Although he has not spared any pains, nor been unmindful of Horace's recommendation, "saepe stilum vertas, iterum qua) digna legi sint scripturus," he is sensible that his production cannot claim to be considered anything more than a plain unvarnished compilation of facts. It is based on the State Papers to be found in the Record Office, also on public and other documents, principally official, most of which latter in his the are possession ; remainder he has had access to, and they are accessible : the particulars re- lating to the more recent and modern part of the book being supplemented by facts, regarding which he has personal knowledge, having been for a long time past intimately acquainted with all the circumstances relating to the Holyhead mail service. His aim and intention have been not to allow any statement to be made, the correctness of which cannot either be authenticated, or at least supported by what appear to be reliable data. Notes arc supplied, and the reader will please understand that when the source of information is not cited in the body of the work, nor in the notes, the author is himself able to guarantee the accuracy of what is narrated. vi PREFACE As it is thought that notes placed at foot of the pages in the usual way rather tend to distract the attention of the ordinary reader, they have been printed at the end of the volume, and are indicated by the numbers on the pages. When no authority is specified, the reader is in- formed that should he or she desire confirmation on the point, whatever it may be, and write care of the pub- lishers, the author will be happy to furnish any information, or answer any question. While fearing that the subject may not appeal to the general reader, the author has not lost sight of the " line following the one already quoted, neque te ut miretur turba labores," and only hopes that a record has been produced, which will prove useful to some who either now or hereafter may be interested in it, he being " " prepared to remain contentus paucis lectoribus as Horace has advised an author to be. The work was completed two years ago, but owing to the war the publication has been necessarily delayed. E. W. February, 1917. CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. Fbom Roman to Tudor Tikes 1 II. FORMATION OF A POST TO IRELAND BY QUEEN ELIZABETH , 9 III. From King James I. to tee Commonwealth .... 25 IV. The Restoration, and More General Use of the Holyhead Route 43 V. A Centura of Development: 1672-1772 6fi VI. The Need for Facilities intensified by the Passing of the Act of Union 80 VII. The Claims of the Public pressed and given Effect to, 1809-1819 98 VIII. Steamers substituted fob Sailing Packets, 1821-1827 . 113 IX. Road and Harbour Improvements, 1827-1837 . .129 X. Introduction of Railways and the Result, 1838-1849 . 149 XI. Rail and Sea Contracts made in 1850 165 XII. Improved Joint Contract Service, 1860 182 XIII. Failure of Attempt to change the Route for the Irish Mails and the Result, 1883-1894 206 XIV. New Rapid Service established, 1895 to Present Time . 222 Notes 237 ILLUSTRATIONS TO FACE PAGE 1. The Harbour Lighthouse, Holyhead . Frontispiece 2. Plan of the Harbour op Holyhead with the proposed New Road and Pier 98 3. A Dbauqht op the Covstkss of Chichester Packet . 104 4. Plan op Holyhead Harbour 122 5. Portrait op Commander John Macoreoor Skinner, R.N. 137 6. Plan op Howth Harbour 140 7. Mail Coach, Design recommended by Sib Henry Parnell, Bart 14G 8. Portrait op Sib Henby Pabnell, Babt., 1st Baron Congleton 15C " " 9. R.M.S. Prince Arthur 170 10. Portrait op William Watson 194 11. Portrait op Captain John Thomas 232 NOTES. ERRATA PAOE USE ' " l:57 18 Omit 8 " " " " 239 2 For 25 read 46 " " " " 3 For 56 read 66 " " " " 4 For 3* substitute 4 " " " For Aug. 27, voL 153 read June 30, voL 37 " " " " 5 For 4 substitute 5 6 For "5" "6" " " " " 240 14 For Q read 9 17 For "Q" read "9" 241 2 For "77" "76" " " " " " " 6 //wcrt 77 and for 2 substitute 1 " " " " 10 For 3 substitute 2 ' " " 41 After 111 iiwert c 11:; " " " " 242 7 For 105 substUuU KM " " For 1 2 " " " " ' ! //wcrt 105 and for 2 substitute 1 11 For "3" substituU "2" " Id For "108" 107 IK For "110' "108" " " " " " " 19 7/wer< 11U ami for 2 substitute 1 " " " " " 20 Omi( 111 and for 1 substitute 2 " '* " " " //wcr/ " 21 111 and far 2 substitud 1 " " " i:! frwer* 120" o;/ 1 " " " 243 I F/r 119 substituU 120" ' 7 Omd 2" " " " " For 3 substituU 2 H> For "4" "3" WATPOSH ROYAl MAIL T" IKKLANh. The Royal Mail to Ireland CHAPTER I From Roman to Tudor Times The Post is a very ancient institution. Posts were in and Persia i the Babylonia ; Romans had employed " a post known as the cursus publicus." The word " " post," derived from the Latin positus," or "plated,'' meant in its primary significance the house or place where the horses were kept which were used for the purpose of conveying the despatches sent by this service, and in all probability, when Britain was finally subjugated by the Emperors, the cursus publicus was established there, and passed along the various roads which were then constructed. It is supposed that these roads, or some of them, were formed on existing British roads, but on this point there is no definite information. The " " Itinerary of Antoninus, an important geographical work, gives full particulars of the Roman roads in Britain, with the names of the stations and the distances. One of the principal of these roads was the Wat ling Street at it led ; originating Dover, through Canterbury and Rochester to London at the it ; entering Surrey side, passed over the Thames at the point where London Bridge now stands. A small part of the road still remains, connecting St. Paul's Churchyard with Budge 1 B 2 THE ROYAL MAIL TO IRELAND Row the road's site is and ; coincident with Holborn Oxford Street, turning near where the Marble Arch now stands, it continued in a north-westerly direction through St. Alban's, Towcester into Staffordshire, and there divided, one branch trending northwards through Manchester, another through Nantwich to Chester, the third to Uriconium near the Wrekin, and from thence two roads, one to St. David's in South Wales, the other to Carnarvon. So far as England is concerned, the actual position of these roads is known. In some places, such as the Edgware Road, the present highway is identical with the course of the Watling Street, but wherever it is not, the position of the old road is still traceable, and most of the stations can be identified with existing cities or towns. 1 The main road from London to Lichfield, and the branch to Chester, form the basis of the first post road to Ireland ; to the west of Chester the actual site of the road is lost. This may be explained by the fact that Wales, after the departure of the Romans, relapsed into a lower degree of barbarism even than England did. But reference to the eleventh chapter of Antoninus enables the existence of the Roman road through Denbigh and Conway to be demonstrated as far as the Straits the at Menai ; stations, commencing Deva (Chester), were, Vara (Bodfari) Conovium (Conway) 2 Segontium (Carnarvon) . In recent times a Roman mile- stone has been discovered bearing an inscription which gives the distance from Conway and confirms the 3 supposed position of this road. The Roman Conovium was situated further up the river Conway, about six of the town the of the miles south modern ; position former is clearly defined, it is called Caer Rhun. There are remains of a Roman road over the hills, which joins THE ROYAL MAIL TO IRELAND 3 the present road from the bridge of Tal-y-cafn to the road that passes through Aber Glen, and it is not im- probable that this old road ran through Bangor and on to Segontium, which, if the case, would tend to confirm the view that the old post road west of Chester was on a different line to that taken by the Roman road. The author of the work which mentions the incident of the milestone assumes that the road by a trajectus crossed the Menai, and proceeded to the Roman station at Holyhead. The first attack on the inhabitants of Anglesey was made by Aulus Plautius who crossed the Straits opposite Carnarvon. Suetonius Paulinius conquered Monu, and the Island was eventually completely subjugated by 1 Agricola. A road to Holyhead may have been made from the place above mentioned, and there is good ground for believing that there was a second road, commencing from the shore more nearly opposite Bangor and joining the former road east of the village of Bodedern.
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