Limerick City Museum – Limerick Corporation Index 1843 © 2008 Limerick City Museum Limerick City Museum The Limerick Corporation Index of 1843 Introduction The Limerick Corporation Index is a manuscript listing of abstracts from Corporation leases compiled by the City’s Law Agent, Robert Potter in 1843. It forms the basis of Potter’s report to the Corporation printed in 18 44 by William Canter of William Street1. The reason for the compilation was the desire of the Corporation to question the legality of the long leases granted on extremely generous terms to members of the old corrupt corporation. 158 leases had been handed over by the old corporation, while details of a further 11 were discovered in the Registry Office in Dublin. These form the first part of the Index and are discussed in Potter’s report. The source or sources of a further 123 entries are not recorded. The whereabouts of the original document is unknown. This transcript was prepared from a photocopy in Limerick City Library. Clearly the original was available until quite recently but its present whereabouts are unknown. It is presumed to be awaiting rediscovery at the back of a cupboard in City Hall. Limerick Museum holds full copies of two of the leases, these are 21)=LM3544 and 61)= LM1934 The entries are recorded across a double page in the original and photocopied in that manner onto A3 paper. It is not possible to give the full dimensions of the original because it was slightly taller than the A3 page. It was 21.4cm wide. All the pages are feint lined with ruled columns added. On the left-hand leaf there are seven columns, headed, “No.”, “Date of Lease”, “Denomination”, “Term of Years”, “Yearly Rent £ s d”, 1 Potter, R., 1844. Report of Robert Potter Esq. Law Agent to the Corporation. Page 1 of 67 Limerick City Museum – Limerick Corporation Index 1843 © 2008 Limerick City Museum and, “Expiration of Lease”. The right hand leaf has two columns headed, “Description and Boundaries of Premises”, and, “Observations”. In the observation column there are a number of notes in pencil, scattered throughout, which have not been fully picked up by the photocopy. These have been omitted, but observations in ink have been included. Where a description continues onto a new page the final word on one page is on a separate line and is repeated as the first word of the next. These words are not repeated. In the following transcript the left-hand page is listed first. A slash (/) indicates the columns while blank columns are indicated by a dash (-). Other conventions used are:- [] & [lacuna] indicate a space left blank in the original text by the original compiler {} used for comments put into parentheses in the text by the original compiler () used for comments by the present transcriber Superscript is used where abbreviations are in smaller letters raised above the line, and where omissions have been added. Transcription errors are struck through. The initial number in bold is the modern reference sequence. It is identical to the figure in the first column for the first 158 records, but 158 is used twice in the original and the numbering stops at 169. There is a later group numbered from one again. Leases 1-158 are those handed over by the Old Corporation and 159-169 are those from the Registry Office. Both groups are listed in chronological order. Five groups follow, each listed in chronological order. None of these are numbered in the first column. They are 170-184, 185-90, 191-196, 197-198 and 199-219. The final numbered run is 220-291 and again it is in chronological order. There is a final single document, 292. It would appear from this that there were seven sources for the second part and that runs of documents were added, as they became available. Many of the lands named below figure in the sales of Corporation lands on 21st February 1878 and 11th July 18822 and many are also identifiable in the 1655 Civil Survey.3 Corporation Index 1) 1/ 1657 5th March/ Sexton, Christopher, Alderman/ Portnalinbragh/ 51/ 5s-0d/ 1707 All that the small Island and Parcel of land, commonly called and known by the name of Portnalinbragh, containing 1a 0r 27p, situate lying & being in the South Liberties, without the Walls of the said City, bounded on the north east with the land of Park, on the south east with an Island belonging to the Corporation called by the name of [lacuna] and on the west with a branch of the River Shannon running East of the said City/- 2) 2/ 1657 27 Novemb/ Pope, William/ Parcel of land witht Shannon Gate/ 51/ £10-0s-0d/ 1708 All that the parcel of land belonging to the Corporation lying without Thomond Gate, containing 1a 3r & 18 perches bounded on the north with Mr Christopher Sextons land and the road to Galway/- 2 Photocopies of the sale catalogues are bound together with the Library’s copy of this Index. 3 Simmington, R.C., 1938, The Civil Survey, A.D. 1654-1656. County of Limerick. Dublin Page 2 of 67 Limerick City Museum – Limerick Corporation Index 1843 © 2008 Limerick City Museum 3) 3/ 1657 27 Novemb/ Miller, Thomas, Alderman/ Reaboge, Island/ 51/ £12-4s-0d/ 1708 All that the two Islands called Reaboge, with another plot of land thereto adjoining, containing 40a 2r 22ps lying in the South Liberties of the City of Limerick, bounded on the north & East with the River of Shannon, on the South with the land of Reaboge & on the west with the lands of [lacuna] and Corbally/- 4) 4/ 1657 27 Novemb/ Aylmer, George/ The Stone House near the Little Gate on the Quay etc/ 51/ £5-0s-0d/ 1708 The Stone House near the Little Gate on the Quay of the afsd City, containing in length 47 ft, in breadth 18ft, Also a Cross House in length 26ft in breadth 18ft a Court in length 30ft, in breadth 20ft, a garden in length 170ft, in breadth, at one end 8ft, at the other 35ft, said House Contg below stairs, a kitchen & 3 rooms above stairs 4 rooms & one chimney, A low little house adjoing 30ft by 25/- 5) 5/ 1657 27 Novemb/ Hartwell, William, Alderman/ Spittle lands/ 51/ £27-0s-4d/ 1708 All that and those the lands belonging to the Corporation commonly called & known by the name of Spittle lands, containing 90a 12p or thereabouts, more or less, situate on the south side of said City& meared and bounded on the north with the great road running from Johns Gate towards Cahernarry, and a small water course by the Bog of Singland, and the Lands of Gortnemonelogh, and Rathbane, on the East [lacuna] Galvone Bog [lacuna] by the Road that leads to Kilpeacon, and a little lane from said Road leading to Kilpeacon to the great road from John’s Gate towards Cahernarry aforesaid/- 6) 6/ 1658 7th May/ Friend, John, Alderman/ Parcel of Land without Thomond Gate 1a/ 21p/ 51/ £1-0s-0d/ 1708 All that the small parcel of land lying without Thomondgate, bounded on the South side thereof with the Corporation Land then in the possession of Thomas Martin, on the west with the Dean’s Land on the East with the Shannon, on the North with Edward Lane’s holding containing 1a 21 p/- 7) 7/ 1659 5 Sept/ Bindon, Henry, Burgess/ Messuage & tenements, south, east and west side of Quay lane lying next the Court House/ 51/ £3-8s-0d/ 1710 All that the Parcel of Ground {portion of description illegible} messuage or tenement heretofore in the occupation of Lawrence Comyn, situate on the south side of Quay Lane {other portion of description illegible} with the new dwelling house of the said Henry Bindon, situate on the East side thereof, and the House lately belonging to Geoe Rochford, on the West Side thereof with a small yard behind the said house, in breadth with same house, mearing with little Limerick lane, and also 18ft eastward from said Henry Bindon’s then dwelling House, & of the small plot of ground lying next the Court House on the south side thereof, and in length from the said Court House, southward to the said house theretofore, and lately in the occupation of Dominick Terry/- 8) 8/ 1659, 5 Sept/ Comyn, John Esq/ Tenements south side of Quay Lane/ 51/ £4-0s-0d/ 1710 One messuage or Tenement situate on the south side of Quay Lane late in the occupancy of George Rochford, bounded on the east with the House then in the occupation of Henry Page 3 of 67 Limerick City Museum – Limerick Corporation Index 1843 © 2008 Limerick City Museum Bindon formerly belonging to Lawrence Comyn, on the West with the House of William Creagh, with the small yard, behind, the same in breadth with the said House/- 9) 9/ 1660 28 Sept/ Martin, Thomas, Gentleman/ Parcel of land in the North Liberties/ 49/ £1-10s-0d/ 1709 All that the small parcel of land in the North Liberties of said City containing 1r 14p bounded on the Corporation Land now in the possession of William Roche on the West with the Deans land & on the east with the River of Shannon/- 10) 10/ 1662 16th Octr/ King, Sir William/ Stone House commonly called Store Houses on the Quay with land adjoining/ 51/ £13-10s-0d/ 1714 All that the Stone House Commonly called & Known by the name of the Store Houses situate upon the Quay of the sd City now in the possession or occupation of Robert Casey of said City, Burgess, with the garden plots and land thereto adjoining or belonging on the East side and South end, thereof betwixt the City Wall, and the House of Thomas Treherne of the said City Innkeeper, & then in the possession of the said Thomas/- 11) 11/ 1663 21 Jany/ Bishopp, Edward/ Plot of Ground west side of St John St/ 51/ 10s- 0d/ 1713 All that the small plot of ground belonging to the Corporation situate on the west side of Saint John’s Street, containing in length