Elwyn, thank you so much for this fascinating account. It makes the ancestors come alive, reading of their day-to-day lives. Dorothy in New Zealand
Sent from my iPad > On 20/10/2018, at 4:29 AM, elwyn soutter via CoTyroneList > <[email protected]> wrote: > > From a recent post about farming in Tyrone, I sense there is an interest in > day to day life in Tyrone in the 1800s. The following document might > therefore interest members of this forum. I found it in PRONI and thought it > gave a good description of life then. > > > > PRONI Reference : > > T2279/2 > > > > MEMORIES OF DUNGANNON, FLAX, THE BIG WIND, TRAVEL, EMIGRATION, POTATO BLIGHT, > FAMINE > > > > > > Notes and reminiscences dictated to me during the winter of 1904-5 by my > father James Brown Donaghmore, [Co. Tyrone] [signed] Nora Brown. > > > > 'I was born on 25 July 1823 in the old house in Donaghmore, now a part of the > soap works. My father was David Brown, son of John Brown who married Miss > McClelland and lived in Mullaghmore. Miss McClelland's brother married my > grandfather's sister and also lived in Mullaghmore. My father had one brother > John who lived in Irish Street and carried on a bakery. He married Miss Jane > McDowell. My mother was Betty, daughter of Henry King of Middletown Co > Monaghan.' > > > > 'When first married, my parents lived in a small house in Mullaghmore, since > pulled down, and afterwards in a house in Donaghmore opposite the chapel. > Then they moved to the house where I was born. They had ten children. Mary > married Richard Tener; Henry married Jane Carr; Ann and Thomas who died in > childhood. Margaret married Henry Oliver; Eliza married Robert Smith; Jane > married Thomas Lilburn; Amelia married Joseph Acheson; Isabella married John > Beatty and myself who married Jane Ellen Nicholson.' > > > > 'The first thing I can remember is a servant of ours Mary Mullen going to > America on St. Patrick's Day 1828. She and the rest of her party drove to > Belfast in a cart to sail thence to America. They took with them provisions > for the journey, chiefly oat cakes, as then was the custom. The outward > voyage averaged 30 days, but occasionally was 6 or 7 weeks and on these > occasions provisions ran short and the poor people were in danger of > starvation.' > > > > 'Another early recollection is being taken into a darkened bedroom to see a > little play fellow, who was ill of smallpox, there being little knowledge of > the risk of infection then.' > > > > 'My first teacher was Mr Richard Robinson whose school was in the space now > planted with trees behind the cross. It was then the only school in the > village. Later I had lessons at home from Mr Stuart who taught the R[oman] > C[atholic] school in Dungannon.' > > > > 'After leaving the village school I was sent to my sister Mary Tener in Perry > Street where her husband had a grocer's shop and I attended a school kept by > two teachers from the South of Ireland, Messrs Murphy and Riordan. Afterwards > I lived with my sister Margaret in Church Street where her husband carried on > a saddlery trade and I went to Mr Burch's school on the Castle Hill. I > remained here until I was nearly 13 when in the summer of 1836 I went to the > Rev. John Bleckley's school in Monaghan. Here I stayed until I was sent for > to come to the death bed of my father on 17 November 1837. He died on 22 > November and I did not return to school, but went to business with my brother > in Donaghmore.' > > > > 'Previous to the year 1816 my father was engaged in the linen trade giving > out home spun yarn and getting it woven in hand looms in the cottages. At > that time a good deal of the linen trade was transacted in Dublin, not > Belfast, probably in consequence of better banking facilities. My father used > to go to Dublin to sell his linen, in company of other merchants. They rode > on horse back, in parties, for protection from highwaymen, the journey to > Dublin occupying three days. In later years when the linen trade in Belfast > had increased, buyers for the bleachers came to Dungannon every Thursday and > took their places on the "standings" on the east side of the square where the > farmers brought the webs, woven by their families and servants. The > "standings" were benches with boards in front of them, on which the webs were > thrown for examination. When the price was arranged the buyer put his mark on > it and the seller took it to Mr Robert Tener in Perry Street who measured it. > He got a few pence for each web measured, in consideration for which he > supplied the buyers with dinner.' > > > > 'Travellers then wishing to go to Belfast, used to leave Dungannon at 4 am on > a long car which took them by Moy and Loughgall to Portadown. Here they > joined John Byer's coach, running between Armagh and Belfast, reaching the > latter place about 1 pm.' > > > > 'During the war with Napoleon prices for agricultural produce were high, but > the peace of 1815 was followed by a time of great depression, partly caused > by two bad seasons, a very wet summer and a very dry one. During the latter > the corn was so short it could not be reaped in the usual way but had to be > pulled. The depression in the linen trade caused my father to open a bakery > in Donaghmore and I remember his telling me that the first flour he used was > American and cost 4 guineas[1] a barrel.' > > > > 'About the year 1820 partly from the wish to find employment for an old and > respected friend, my father conceived the idea of beginning soap and candle > making. This being before the days of railways, the materials were brought > chiefly by canal either to Moy or Coalisland, excepting what was produced > locally. In those early years of the last century, each market town had one > or more tanyards, and a candle factory sometimes including a soap works. Now, > in the following century, the soap trade has left those country towns and > settled in the sea port, so that the Donaghmore factory is the only country > one, still working in Ireland.' > > > > 'There used to be two tanyards in Dungannon, one in Beragh, three in Omagh > and several in Strabane and Derry but that business has practically ceased in > Ireland, after centring in Dublin for a time.' > > > > 'Another extinct industry is the making of nails which was carried on by the > Hodgetts father and son until a comparatively recent date. Each nail was made > separately with the hammer, of small iron rods, supplied for the purpose. > These nails cost 4d. to 8d. per 100 according to size. Now they are made by > machinery at a quarter the price. The open window of the nailer's shop was a > very favourite spot at which to linger and "shaunogh", watching him busily > hammering and chopping off the nails and giving the "cracks" of the village, > without pausing at his work.' > > > > 'Few people nowadays would know what a "shilling" (shelling) hill was. This > was a usual adjunct to the country corn mill of my young day. The oats were > dried on the kiln and after shelling were filled into a sack. This was thrown > over a horse's back and taken to the nearest rising ground where the chaff > was removed by the wind. After this process which is now superseded by the > use of fans, the winnowed grain was refilled into the sack and taken back to > the mill to be ground into meal.' > > > > 'When I was a boy my father began to make mould candles in addition to the > dips, which were the first candles made. The old process of making dips was a > very slow one, one man only making about 20 dozen lbs. per day. With improved > appliances a man afterwards could make 80 dozen lbs. In those days tallow > alone was used, but in later years paraffin wax has supplanted it and dip > candles are no longer made. Rush lights also were made and used as night > lights. They gave a small slowly burning light, they partially peeled rush > taking the place of candlewick. A strip of peel was left on each side of the > rush and the ends of these strips being knotted, they were suspended from the > dipping rods by this means. The wicks for the dips were made of flax tow > which was loosely spun by women and after boiling with alkali was bleached on > the grass. This made a very rough wick. Later cotton was used, it being > supplied from Manchester ready for use. Prior to Leblanc's discovery of the > process of producing alkali from salt, barilla or kelp was used in soap > making. The kelp was made on the sea shore and brought inland to the > factories.' > > > > 'In Castlefin, where the Messrs Baird had a soap works, in the early part of > last century, an autumn morning would find the fair green crowded with > horses, laden with creels of kelp brought from the north-west coast of > Donegal to supply these works. Russia was the main source of imported tallow > and barilla was also brought from the Mediterranean.' > > > > 'When the soap works was started Mr Martin the traveller for the brewery > introduced our manufactures on his journeys and brought orders from Omagh > Enniskillen etc which assisted us considerably. Afterwards Mr William Irwin > and Mr John Clark travelled for the firm, an occupation which I took up about > 1842. As this was before the days of railways, I drove my own horse and gig > once a month through Tyrone and Fermanagh, also parts of Armagh and Derry. In > this way I became well acquainted with these districts and with our > customers.' > > > > 'During the early years of my business career our principal competitors were > in Belfast. The chief makers there were Mr Finlay Mr Greer and Mr Glenfield. > Locally we had Mr John Shillington of Portadown and later on Robert > McClelland in Dungannon while George and Robert sons of Mr John Tener started > to make soap and candles at Moree [?]. This came to an end in a few months > however. Robert McClelland had a tannery and also sold tea in the same > districts which we visited, so he was a serious competitor. He and his nephew > Joseph removed to Belfast later on, but afterwards returned to Dungannon and > built the spinning mill now Messrs Hale and Martin's.' > > > > 'Up till the opening of the railway in 1865, our goods were entirely > delivered by our own carters. Until 1830 we had no post office. Letters were > brought from Dungannon by a messenger to the brewery and he also carried > those for the village. The mail coach from Dublin to Coleraine brought > letters to Dungannon. Our first post master had the magnificent salary of £3 > annually.' > > > > 'In my boyhood there was no place of worship in Donaghmore but the chapel of > which Friar Conwell was priest. Rev. Thomas Carpendale was rector of this > parish and Rev. Robert Fraser was his curate, the parish church being in > Castlecaulfield. The chapel of ease in Donaghmore was built in 1836 or 1838, > through the influence of Mr Mackenzie who up till then had been a > Presbyterian and attended first Dungannon, of which church Rev Mr Bennett was > minister. The church in Donaghmore was enlarged and altered during Rev James > McNeece's incumbency about 1866. The levelling of tithes caused a very bitter > feeling, so much so, that on one occasion, a mob of angry Protestant > parishioners surrounded the glebe house, threatening to hang the rector on > one of his own trees. About 1835 the law was altered, so that the landlord > paid the tithe, being empowered to add it to the rent. Fr McGuckian was the > parish priest who rebuilt the chapel about 1845. My father always lived on > very good terms with his R[oman] C[atholic] neighbours. As an instance of > this, on one occasion when the weather looked threatening, the priest gave > him the use of the chapel as a temporary store for his corn. A funeral had to > take place in the morning before his offer could be taken advantage of and as > the sky became more overcast, Friar Conwell more than once, anxiously went to > the top of the hill overlooking the road by which the funeral was to come. At > last he came back to my father "hear the hour" he said "coming as if they > were on the way to the gallows!" The funeral took place, and the corn was > safely housed in the chapel before the storm came.' > > > > 'In October 1845 came the first potato blight. We had a field of potatoes > that year on the back lane and in one night they were struck with the blight > and both tops and roots were blackened. The damage done in [18]45 was only > partial, that is to say, only a portion of the country was affected and the > blight did not strike the plants until the crop was almost matured. Only a > part could be used for food, the rest were given to pigs or used to make > starch. We put up a small machine to grind them and extract the farina and > for this purpose they still served very well.' > > > > 'On the night of 3 August 1846 came the bad potato blight. I remember driving > to Bundoran through Co. Fermanagh with my sister Bella on August 3rd and as > we went seeing the fine crops of potatoes in the fields. We spent 3 days in > Bundoran and returning found these same crops blackened and useless. The same > state of affairs prevailed practically over the whole of Ireland and in > consequence 1847 was the famine year. It was felt severely here, but nothing > like so much so as in the South and West.' > > > > 'Indian corn and meal were introduced for the first time from America and I > remember the poor people coming into the shop and asking to see "this yellow > male". They would then take some in their hand, ostensibly to look at it as a > novelty but really to satisfy their hunger with it. It was an anomaly of this > time, that oaten and Indian meal rose as high in price as fine flour, owing > to the fact that as porridge, meal could be used more economically than flour > in bread. A committee was formed in Donaghmore which met in the school house > at the cross and contributions were raised for the relief of the worst cases. > In other parts works were begun such as cutting hills on roads, but they were > found a wasteful and useless means of relief and eventually the Government > made a grant of several million pounds to be used directly to supply the > starving people with food.' > > > > 'The fever followed the famine and broke out even in the emigrant ships in > which the poor people were flying to America. These were sailing vessels and > far inferior in speed and comfort to those now used and many of the > passengers never reached the other continent. Those who did were taken to an > hospital near the Battery, New York and there numbers died of the fever they > had contracted before leaving Ireland.' > > > > 'The fever was not so rife here as further west and south, but I remember > feeling nervous about it when in Enniskillen for two of our oldest customers > there contracted the disease and died. They sold meal and bread and probably > the poor starving people who came to seek for food, had brought the > infection.' > > > > 'Wages were very low prior to the [18]47 famine. Four shillings a week was > the usual wages for a labouring man. My father always paid his men 5s. 0d. > Some farmers gave their men food instead of wages and I was told by a man in > Omagh of a neighbour of his who hired his men on these terms but would not > feed them on Sundays and gave them a penny instead. Servant girls were paid > as low as 5s. 0d. a quarter, but from May to November when food was dear, > many were glad to work for their board without any wages. After the famine > emigration increased largely and wages have never been so low since.' > > > > 'The Donaghmore brewery was owned by Mr Alexander Mackenzie who lived in > Mullygruen [?] and by my uncle Mr James King who lived in the cottage. He was > one of my mother's three brothers, Alexander who married Miss Trumbell [?] > and lived in Monaghan and Henry who became a doctor in the navy being the > other. James married Miss Trimble of Clogher. On retiring from the navy Henry > married Miss [ ] and lived in Castlecaulfield in the house now occupied by Mr > David Acheson. My mother had two sisters one married William Scroggie and the > other Hugh Weir.' > > > > 'The brewery was such a prosperous concern that I remember 28 carts loaded > with beer and whiskey leaving it in a single morning. Mr Colhoun who came as > a book-keeper afterwards became a partner in the business, together with Mr > George Slevin, who was a nephew of Mr Mackenzie's and lived in Dungannon, > where they had a another brewery on the site of the present railway station. > In my recollection it was not used as a brewery but the buildings were turned > into a corn store. Part of the premises now used by Messrs Dickson as a > weaving factory were then a distillery own by Mr John Falls.' > > > > 'In 1841 Mr Falls opposed Lord Northland as parliamentary representative for > Dungannon and although the latter retained his seat, a very bitter spirit was > roused. The women drapers of Dungannon having sided with Falls, the local > gentry boycotted them and bought their goods from Silas Weir of Cookstown. > This boycotting affected some so severely that they had to emigrant to > America, amongst these being Henry Oliver and Richard Tener, and thought this > seemed a hardship at the time the families of both succeeded much better in > America than they ever could have done in Ireland.' > > > > 'The Presbyterian minister of Castlecaulfield was the Rev John Bridge, who > held his services in the old meeting house which had been one of the > outbuildings of the castle. He became very unpopular owing to his having > failed to attend the Omagh Assizes to give a character to a man called > Ritchie, who was tried and afterwards hanged for murder. It was a party > quarrel, and he was said to have struck with a spade shaft the man who was > killed. In consequence of this Mr Bridge left Castlecaulfield and was > succeeded by the Rev. Joseph Acheson who married my sister Amelia. He > preached at the old castle until he built the present meeting house in 1841. > The curate of Castlecaulfield at this time was the Rev. Robert Hamilton, an > excellent man who worked very devotedly for the spiritual and temporal well > being of his people.' > > > > 'John Wesley visited Castlecaulfield on one of his tours in Ireland and my > grandmother who was a godly woman, took my father, then a little boy, to hear > him preach there. The circumstance impressed him very much and the seed then > sown did not fall on stony ground.' > > > > 'There were two doctors in Donaghmore Dr O'Neill and Dr Corr. The former had > retired from the navy and did not practice much. He lived in a cottage on the > site on which Toybank [?] was afterwards built. Dr Corr was the general > practitioner and an R[oman] C[atholic]. He was followed by Dr McMullen and Dr > McClean. Mrs McClean and Mrs Corr assisted their husbands in their practice > and continued it after they became widows. Both were celebrated for pulling > teeth. Mrs Corr was said to have removed an inch and a quarter of Thomas > Hodgett's jaw bone, along with a tooth one day! In later years Dr Henry of > Pomeroy had a considerable practise in this neighbourhood, Dr Neville of > Dungannon being dispensary doctor.' > > > > 'When anyone in my young day required a suit, he took the tailor with him to > a cloth shop and together they chose the stuff and it was taken home by the > tailor to make up. In the same way the shoemaker went with the customer who > required boots or shoes and helped to choose a piece of leather of which to > make them. In the country there were no shops where ready made goods could be > had. The shoemaker in Donaghmore used to make chief shoes and take them to > Dungannon to the market, where they were sold on the street. It was a common > sight to see the women on a market day, sitting down at the foot of the > Gallow's Hill to wash their feet in the little stream, before putting on the > shoes and stockings they had carried so far and which they only intended to > wear in the town.' > > > > 'There was then a court for the recovery of small debts called the > seneschal's court which was held monthly in Donnelly's public house. Daniel > McKenzie was the seneschal and he called a jury of 12 men to help him to > adjudicate and it was said he looked under the table to see which man had > brogues on, before deciding who should be foreman! The fees or costs were > largely spent in drink for the good of [the] public house, of which there > were five in Donaghmore and two at the Back Ford. These courts ceased when > the County Court was established.' > > > > 'People here often date from the time of the "big wind". That was the 5 > January 1839. It unroofed the brewery coolers and did much damage elsewhere. > When George Mulholland came to his work next morning, someone asked him how > he "put in the night", knowing he had a thatched cottage "oh! all right" said > he "I just slept on the roof to keep it on!"' > > > > 'About 1845 Dan O'Connell was at the height of his popularity. A comical > illustration of this I had when talking with a man in Beragh, a small grocer > who was a great admirer of his. He told me O'Connell had attended Omagh > assizes as a barrister on one occasion and that he had ridden into Omagh, 6 > miles off that he might see "Dan". He stood about the courthouse steps until > he had the opportunity to shake him by the hand. In telling the story to me > afterwards he held his right hand aloft and said emphatically "and I never > put that hand into a herring barrel since"! > > > > 'Illicit distillation was very prevalent then, so much so that my mother told > me on one occasion the military came to Middletown and seized 22 stills. It > is easy to understand what a demoralising effect such a state of things must > have entailed.' > > > > > > Elwyn Soutter > > > > > [1] 1 Guinea was 21 shillings, or £1.05 today. > > _______________________________________________ > CoTyroneList mailing list > [email protected] > http://mail.cotyroneireland.com/mailman/listinfo/ > (_internal_name)s
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