CORK

In 1868, the parish of Cork contained the following places:

"CORK, a county of itself, but locally situated in the county of Cork, province of Munster, Ireland; of which province it is the capital, and ranks third among the cities of Ireland for population, wealth, and commerce. It is situated in N. lat. 51° 53' 39", and in W. long. 8° 20', being distant from Dublin 158 miles by the old road, but 165 by the Great Southern and Western railway, which connects the two cities, and runs to Penrose Marsh through a tunnel of half a mile. The Cork, Black rock, and Passage railway runs only 8 miles, and follows the course of the river from the road near the Monerea Marsh. The Cork and Bandon railway runs 20 miles, passing near the park on the S. side, and terminates at Albert Quay. The Cork, Queenstown, and Youghal direct line runs a distance of 27 miles: There are two other short lines, one to Kinsale and the other to Skibbereen, which last is in course of completion.

The city, situated on the river Lee, which here diverges into several branches, and forms an island, is 11 miles inland from the entrance of the river into Cork Harbour. It is, nevertheless, a large bonding port, with coastguard stations and spacious quays. The assizes for the county and city-are held here. It is also the headquarters of the S. military district, and the seat of a bishop. Its name is supposed to be derived from the Gaelic word Corcach, signifying. "a marshy place," the original city having been built on a lime stone rock, on the margin of the S. branch of the river, which at that period inundated the surrounding country. The history of the city dates back to about the year 600, when an abbey was founded by St. Barr, or Finbarr, to whom such numbers of disciples resorted that Cork soon rose to be a city of some importance. But what is now known as the city was subsequently built on the island by the Danes, who are said to have burnt and plundered the old city and its religious establishments. The Danes eventually settled here about the year 1020, and alternately lost and won possession of it; but it is known to have been in their possession when Dermot McCarthy, the then Prince of Desmond, did fealty to Henry II. of England, and gave up the city in the year 1172. The English king immediately appointed an English governor, with a garrison, and made it a mint town. He likewise granted to the citizens a charter, the original of which is now lost, but a copy was a few years ago discovered by Richard Saint hill, Esq., amongst the Harleian MSS. in the British Museum. The Desmonds afterwards took possession of the city, and war was waged between the English and Irish for some years. In 1177 Henry granted the surrounding territory to Milo de Cogan and Robert Fitz Stephen, with the exception of the city and adjacent cantreds, occupied by the Ostmen, which he kept in his own possession. In 1185 the city was again besieged by Dermot McCarthy, but the Irish forces were routed, and in the following year Dermot was slain by a party of English, under Theobald Fitz-Walter, the founder of the noble house of Ormond. Shortly after, the success which crowned the military efforts of the Irish obliged the English garrison to capitulate to the Prince of Desmond, but in a few years they recovered possession of the city, and strengthened it by the erection of Shandon Castle, which kept the men of Desmond in subjection. The English at length prevailed, and in the year 1199 it is recorded that one John Despenser, civic magistrate, was made Provost of Cork. Nothing of importance occurs again until the time of Perkin Warbeck, who landed here from Lisbon in 1492, and was well received by many Irish, from dislike of the Lancastrian king; but on this occasion the Lord-Deputy Kildare was more circumspect than in the affair of Simnel, and the impostor, failing to rouse the people, retired to the court of Charles VIII. On the 23rd of November, 1699., John O'Water, or Welters, the mayor of Cork, was condemned, and suffered at Tyburn, together with Warbeck, for his participation in this conspiracy. Daring the Desmond insurrection, in Elizabeth's reign it was the headquarters of the English forces, and adhered faithfully to the queen, who presented Maurice Roche, the then mayor, with a silver collar of the Order of St. Simplicius, for his able services against the insurgents. This trophy is still preserved by his descendants, the Kearneys, of Garrettstown. In 1601 the English army assembled here which drove the Spaniards out of the country. On the accession of James I. the city refused to acknowledge him, but was soon reduced to obedience. In 1636 the Algerine pirates, who had before visited the coast, reappeared, and caused some alarm. In 1649 the city was taken by Cromwell, and in 1690 Marlborough besieged and took possession of it for William and Mary. Nothing of any historical moment occurred subsequently. At this period the city consisted of only two principal streets, now called North and South Mainstreets, and it appears from the records of the city to have undergone but little extension or improvement till after the death of Mary, when the corporation began to form new streets, and erect public buildings. Even at the commencement of the 18th century, it had only two entrances: the N. leading from Dublin, and the S. from Kinsale; and two bridges, the North and the South, built of wood, and which, by an Act of Parliament-(l George I. caps. 19, 20), the corporation was empowered to rebuild of stone. Half a century later, the French war brought into notice the great capabilities of its almost matchless haven, completely land-locked, and capable of sheltering the whole British navy. A brisk trade in provisions and stores consequently sprang up to supply the wants of the navy, and the surrounding country, which had previously been one extensive grazing-ground, was converted into arable land. The city shared in the general improvement, and soon became the emporium of commerce for this part of the country. The smaller channels of the river, which flowed through the middle of the streets, presenting at low water a mass of mud, were arched over at the expense of the corporation, and some of the most spacious and elegant streets have since been built above them. Cork is a borough by prescription, and has returned two members to parliament since 1374; the number of electors in 1862 was 3,173. It comprises within its ancient chartered boundaries an area of 48,006 acres, and within its modern municipal boundaries 2,683 acres, which include the seven city parishes as below. The population of the city according to the census of 1851 was 85,745, which in 1861 had declined to 78,892, inhabiting 9,758 houses. The population in 1861 was thus distributed: 9,574 Established Church, 67,092 Roman Catholics, 825 Presbyterians, 886 Methodists, 107 Independents, 66 Baptists, 236 Society of Friends, and 106 of other persuasions. It is governed by a corporation, consisting of a mayor, recorder, sheriff, 16 aldermen, and 48 councillors, with the style of "mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of the borough of Cork." The revenue of the borough in 1851 was £7,504 ls½d. The trade is extensive, chiefly in grain, provisions, butter, hams, bacon, hides, leather, and cattle, for the sale of which there are twelve distinct markets in different districts of the city. The principal occupations are tanning, distilling, brewing, iron founding, besides the manufacture of linen, friezes, ginghams, cutlery, and the sewing of gloves for exportation, known as Limerick gloves. Besides these branches of industry, there is a considerable commission and carrying trade, in connection with the foreign and colonial shipping. The general appearance of the city is picturesque and cheerful; the principal streets are spacious, well paved, and lighted with gas. The houses are built of brick, or of the beautiful gray limestone of the neighbourhood, and are roofed with slate. In the older part of the town, the streets are less spacious, and many of the old houses are constructed of clay-slate, fronted with roofing slate, which gives them a sombre appearance; while in the suburbs some few are thatched. The public buildings are numerous and handsome. Besides the cathedral and parish churches, the city contains the county and city courthouse, created in 1835 at the coat of £20,000; it is a spacious edifice in the Grecian style of architecture, with a boldly projecting portico of eight columns, supporting an entablature and cornice surmounted by a pediment, on the apex of which is a group of figures, representing Justice between Law and Mercy; the interior contains two semicircular courts, in which the assizes for the county at large and those for the county of the city are held, besides offices for the judges and barristers. The mansion-house, now converted into the Mercy Hospital, was built in 1767, by the famous Ducart, at the cost of £3,793. It is a large and handsome edifice, situated on the bank of the river, near the entrance to the Mardyke Walk. Previous to the passing of the Corporation Reform Act, the mayors resided here, but since that event, which reduced their salary from £1,200 to £300, they have resided at their own houses. The ancient "nail" or "nail head," which was formerly in the entrance hall of the mansion-house, has been removed to the Corn Exchange, and the standard brass yard, with the stone bearing the city arms, to the new police court, where it is, inserted in the wall. This latter building was erected a few years ago, chiefly through the exertion of the late John Beanard, jun., Esq., J.P. Queen's College is a new building, founded in 1845 by Act of Parliament, and opened in 1849; it occupies a site of ten acres at Gill Abbey, enclosing a quadrangle of 375 feet in circuit, with cloisters 362 feet round, and an examination-hall 90 feet by 36. The eastern gable is surmounted by a statue of Queen Victoria, erected by Sir Thomas Dean, the architect, in commemoration of her Majesty's visit to Ireland in 1849. The college is governed by a president, vice-president, and staff of professors in almost every branch of learning, including Celtic literature and language. The Protestant Hall is a handsome and commodious building for public lectures, concerts, &c., built by the exertion of Capt. R. Bears Tooker, J.P. The military barracks occupy a commanding eminence to the N.E. of the city; they were originally built in 1806 by the architect Hargrave, and have been subsequently enlarged for the accommodation of 156 officers and 1,994 privates, with stabling for 232 horses; the grounds for parade and exercise are spacious, and there is an hospital capable of receiving 120 patients; the headquarters and staff of the Cork or southern military district of Ireland are stationed here. The commercial buildings, including a chamber of commerce, in place of the old exchange which was pulled down in 1813, are a noble range of buildings, fronted with cement, and ornamented with Ionic columns between the windows. The new corn market was built in 1833 by trustees under an Act of Parliament (3 George IV. cap. 79); it is a quadrangular enclosure, 460 feet in length and 330 in breadth, situated beyond the S. branch of the river, near Anglesea bridge, and divided into numerous covered walks, with a covered space for weighing; the expense of its erection, with that of the bridge leading to it, amounted to £17,460. In the lobby of the Royal Cork Institution stands the statue of William III., which was removed from the mansion house. The city gaol is a castellated building, situated on an eminence near Sunday Well, with separate places of worship for Protestants and Roman Catholics; attached to this is the city bridewell, for the temporary confinement of prisoners under examination, and for detention of disorderly persons until brought before the magistrates. The county gaol and house of correction is a building of considerable pretensions, situated on the new West-road, at a short distance from the town; it is approached by a bridge of one arch, over the S. channel of the Lee, communicating with a causeway raised about 6 feet above the adjacent meadows, and terminating in an esplanade 40 feet broad, in the centre of which, and facing the bridge, is a handsome Doric portico of four columns, surmounted by a pediment, the design having been borrowed from the Temple of Bacchus, at Athens. The lunatic asylum for the county and city of Cork has been removed from the Black Rock-road to the Lee-road. The new building is a hideous structure, like an over grown cruet-stand. The other public buildings deserving notice are the custom-house, post-office, Union poor house, savings-bank, branches of the Bank of Ireland and Provincial Bank, National Joint-stock Bank, Butter Exchange, and several clubhouses, of which the County Club, built in 1826 by Messrs. Pain, at the expense of about £4,000, is probably the handsomest building of its size; the front, which faces the South Mall, consists of a rustic basement, from which rise three columns of the composite-order, supporting an entablature and cornice. The episcopal palace of the bishop of the united dioceses of Cork, Cloyne, and Ross was built by Bishop Mann between the years 1772 and 1789; it is situate on the S. bank of the river, surrounded by fine grounds and gardens. The deanery, situated on the S. side of the cathedral, is a good modern house, known as Dean's Court. The Cork Institution, founded in 1807, where the Cuvierian and Literary Societies hold their meetings; the new school of design, Cork library, museum, art-union theatre, diocesan library, situated near the cathedral, agricultural association, temperance institution, North and South infirmaries, with school of physic, one fever and two lying-in hospitals, Rotunda, Athenaeum, to which the statue of Pitt, from the mansion-house, has been removed, deaf and dumb asylum, and a general dispensary. Cork is the head of a diocese, in the province of Dublin, to which Ross was annexed in 1583, and Cloyne in 1836. It embraces nearly the whole of the county of Cork, comprising 8 rural deaneries and 196 parishes, or more correctly 78 benefices, as more than half the parishes are unions. The bishop's income is £2,498. The chapter consists of a dean, archdeacon, precentor, chancellor, treasurer, and at present 12 prebendaries. The city is divided into seven parishes, including the cathedral, which also serves, by permission of the chapter, as the parish church of St. Finbarr. The old fabric contained the shrine of St. Finbarr, to whom the church is dedicated, and, before the siege in 1690, had near it a round tower. The church itself was rebuilt between 1725 and 1735, the expense being defrayed by a duty of 1s. per ton on all coal and culm imported into Cork for five years. The present structure is of the Doric order, except the tower, which was rebuilt about the beginning of the 17th century, at the cost of £500, defrayed by the chapter. It is surmounted by a lofty octagonal spire of hewn stone, under which is the principal entrance. In the choir is a plain Venetian window, and on the S. side is the chapter-hall, where the consistorial court is held. In the interior is the bishop's throne, of black Irish oak; the prebendal stalls, which are elegantly finished; and a beautiful white marble monument to Chief Baron Tracton. It is now determined to rebuild the cathedral on the site of the present building, from a magnificent design by Mr. Burgess, estimated to cost £30,000. The living of St. Finbarr is a rect, appropriate to the dean and chapter and vicars-choral. The gross value of the deanery is £630 12s. 11d. The funds of the dissolved preceptory of St. John of Jerusalem were granted by Charles II. to support choral service in the cathedral, which is shamefully neglected. These funds amount to something over £300 per annum; there are besides four vicars-choral, the net annual value of each is £305 6s. 9d. On the demise of the present vicars-choral (of whom two are deceased), the funds lapse into the hands of the Ecclesiastical Com missioners, who pay four stipendaries. The chapter funds amount in addition to £400 per annum. The living of Christ Church is a vicarage and rectory, the former in the patronage of the bishop; the latter constitutes tide corps of the prebend (now honorary) of the same name in the cathedral church, And is in the gift of the crown. The church, which was rebuilt in 1720, and again in 1829, is 97 feet by 57, with a richly panelled ceiling resting on ranges of Ionic pillars of scagliola. The living of St. Peter is a vicarage, held by the archdeacon, in conjunction with four rectories, together constituting the union and corps of the archdeaconry, gross value £957 88. 5d., after deduction for curates, &c., £680, in the patronage of the bishop. The old church of St. Peter, the tower of which formed one of the defences of the city wall, was taken down in 1770, and the present structure has lately shown symptoms of decay, so that its demolition must speedily take place, which is the more to be regretted as Dr. Kyle, the present archdeacon, only a few years since built a handsome tower and spire, and otherwise beautified the structure. The livings of St. Anne and St. Mary, Shandon, are both rectories, value respectively £790 17s. 1d. and £385 1s. 2d., in the alternate patronage of the Duke of Leinster and Mountiford Longfield, Esq., of Castlemary. The church of St. Anne has a tower 190 feet high, conspicuous from most parts of the city. A chapel-of-ease to this parish was erected in 1836, near the Brickfields; it is in the later English style of architecture, with a tower surmounted by a light and elegant spire at the W. end, and two lofty pinnacles at the E. The parish of St. Paul was formed in 1726 out of the districts of East Marsh, in the parish of St. Mary, Shandon, and Dunscombe Marsh, in that of Christ Church; the living is a rectory, value £251 7s. 2d., in the patronage of the Duke of Leinster and Mountiford Longfield, Esq. The church is a small Grecian edifice, erected by subscription on land presented by the corporation. The living of St. Nicholas is a rectory, with six others constituting the corps of the chancellorship, and in the patronage of the bishop. The total income in 1862 was £485 3s., total expenditure £233 18s. 7d., leaving net value £251 4s. 5d. The old church, formerly a chapel-of-ease to St. Finbarr's, was some years back taken down, and the finest parish church in the city erected in its stead; it is built of cut limestone, with N. and S. transepts, and a chancel fitted up with choir benches and stalls, covered with crimson cloth, where choral service is performed every Sunday throughout the year by an amateur choir, and on Wednesday evenings between September and May. The service is said to be the best conducted in the South of Ireland, and is attended by the largest regular congregation, numbering upwards of 1,000 persons. There are besides a free church, near the South Infirmary, and a chapel-of-ease to St. Finbarr, at Black-rock. The old church of St. Brandon, which was situated on the N. side of the old road to Youghal, has been entirely removed, and -the cemetery is now occupied by a beautiful house and grounds, the contents of the graveyard having previously been removed to another place. The Roman Catholic ecclesiastical divisions nearly correspond with the above, only the Roman Catholic see contains 33 parishes, of which three are included in the city. The first of these three parishes, comprising the greater part of the Protestant parishes of St. Mary and St. Anne, constitutes one cure, under the immediate charge of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Cork, who performs the duties of parish priest, assisted by six curates and two chaplains. The cathedral, which also serves as the parochial chapel, is a plain structure externally, but the interior is richly decorated in the later English style, and contains an altarpiece similar to that of St. Alban's Abbey in England. Besides the cathedral, there are two parochial chapels, for the Roman Catholic parishes of Peter and Paul and St. Finbarr, and two chapels-of-ease at Clogheen and Brickfields. The chapel of SS. Peter and Paul has just been rebuilt on a magnificent scale, in the Gothic style of architecture, under the direction of Pugin the architect, and will be, when completed, one of the finest of modern Irish ecclesiastical structures. The chapel at Brickfields is one of the prettiest structures in the Grecian style to be found in Ireland. The main entrance is by a lofty and elegant portico, of eight columns of gray marble, standing on a raised pediment, and approached by a flight, of steps, extending along the entire front; from the centre of the roof rises a eupola, supported by eight Corinthian columns, surmounted by figures of the Apostles. There are two other chapels, both Gothic, one dedicated to St. Vincent, the other to the Holy Trinity; the latter is situated on Charlotte Quay, and is still unfinished. There are four monasteries and two convents for nuns, with a chapel attached to each. The presbytery of Cork includes Bandon, Clonmell, Cork, Queenstown, Lismore, Mallow, Milltown, and Tralee. Within the city there are two Presbyterian places of worship, one in connection with the synod of Munster, and the other in connection with that of Ulster. Besides which there is a Scotch Presbyterian meeting-house, recently erected on the Glenmire-road, with schools now erecting, the gift of Mr. Carmichael. There are also four places of worship for Methodists, and one each for Baptists, Independents, and Quakers. The educational establishments, besides Queen's College above described, are numerous, including endowed, National, parochial, and denominational schools. The principal endowed schools are the blue-coat school, or hospital for 40 boys, founded by Dean Worth on the site of an ancient hospital for lepers, and the green-coat school, founded by Archdeacon Pomeroy, also for 40 boys. There are various almshouses and charities, the principal being the Corporation, Lapp's, Skiddy's, and Bertridge's charities, besides two houses of female refuge, Protestant Orphan Society, Masonic Female and St. Patrick's Orphan asylums, with various parochial almshouses and asylums for aged people. Near the city is a cemetery, after the plan of Pyre La Chaise, in Paris, on the site of the old botanical gardens. The graves are distributed over the greater part, amid the shrubs, plants, and flowers, brought hither at a very great expense by the original proprietors. The ground is intersected by broad gravel walks, and there are several handsome monuments. It was purchased in 1826 for this purpose by Father Matthews, who established his first total abstinence society in Cork, on the 10th April, 1838. Another favourite promenade is the Mardyke, a fine raised walk a mile long, on the W. of the city, sheltered by a noble avenue of elms. A park has also been lately enclosed, containing about 240 acres, extending from the Victoria-road along the S. bank of the river to Blackrock. There are nine bridges over the river Lee and its branches, several of which are modern and elegant structures. St. Patrick's bridge, the last over the northern branch, and to which vessels sail up, was rebuilt in 1861, the former structure having been swept away by the great flood in 1853. It is now one of the finest bridges in Ireland, and connects the noble range of quays which line both sides of the river. North bridge, over the same branch of the river, was taken down in 1863, and is to be replaced by an iron bridge on stone piers: Wellington budge, at the western extremity of the city, is a noble structure of hewn stone, erected from designs by Richard Griffiths; it consists of a centre arch of 50 feet span, and two side arches of 45 feet, with solid parapets. Anglesea bridge, erected in 1830, is a handsome structure of hewn limestone, consisting of two elliptical arches 44 feet span, with parapets of cast-iron, and two parallel drawbridges, which are raised to admit vessels above it; the expense was defrayed by the commissioners of the new corn market, who voted £9,000 for this purpose. The other bridges are small structures, several being only of one arch. Several newspapers are published in Cork, the principal being the Cork Constitution, Cork Examiner, Cork Herald, and Cork Southern Reporter. The men of eminence born here are numerous; amongst the painters the names of Barry, Butts, and Maclise stand pre-eminent; the sculptor Hogan, the virtuoso Anthony Wood, the county historian Townsend, the travellers Hastie and Murphy, General O'Leary, and many others, including Miss Thomson, who married the Emperor Muly Mahomet. Amongst living worthies, those who have written on the antiquities of Cork are, John Lindsay, Esq., and Richard Sainthill, Esq., who have successfully laboured in the numismatic department, and Richard Caulfield, F.S.A., and John Windell, Esq., who have devoted much time to the historical antiquities of the county; the last gentleman is also an eminent Celtic scholar. A fine collection of Irish antiquities is now forming by Robert Day, jun., Esq. Markets are held daily for provisions, but Monday and Thursday are market days for cattle. Two fairs take place annually on Trinity Monday and on the 1st October."

[Transcribed from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland 1868]
by Colin Hinson ©2018