Lewis Topographical Dictionary - OSi Online Shop

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persed his forces into garrison. In 1690 the adherents
of King William who had been wounded in the attack
on Limerick were hospitably received by the inhabitants
of Cashel, whose humane attention induced the king, on
the bridge of Golden, about four miles distant, to renew
their charter by letter, which is still in the possession of
the corporation.
The town is situated on the mail coach road from
Dublin to Cork, about two miles from the river Suir,
in a fine open country; it consists of one principal
street, from which several others diverge irregularly,
and contains 1059 houses. The inhabitants are very
inadequately supplied with water, partly by pumps, which
in summer afford only a scanty supply of hard water
unfit for many culinary and domestic purposes, and
partly with soft water conveyed by pipes from a dis-
tance of two miles. A small stream from the same
source was brought into the town some years since,
through the exertions of Archdeacon Cotton, at an ex-
pense of above £200, which was defrayed by subscrip-
tion and an annual grant of £50 from the grand jury
of the county, under the authority of an act of parlia-
ment called Lee’s Act- but in a very short time it
proved useless. Subsequently, W. B. Upton, Esq., an
inhabitant, suggested a plan for bringing such a supply
from a distance of 17 miles as would admit of the
passage of boats also, by which turf from the bog of
Allen, about 4½ miles distant, and coal from the Kille-
naule collieries, about 14 miles distant, might be con-
veyed to the town: the estimated cost was £9000, to
advance which sum an application was made to Govern-
ment, but the plan failed in obtaining the sanction of
Government, and no steps have been since taken towards
accomplishing so desirable an object. The archbishop’s
palace was formerly situated at Gammas, about two miles
distant: the present, which stands within the city and
was erected about the middle of the last century, is a
large and well-built mansion, with extensive gardens
attached, from which the ruins of the cathedral on the
rock appear strikingly grand and conspicuous. Attached
to the palace is a building in which is deposited a library
of nearly 9000 volumes, chiefly bequeathed by Archbi-
shop Bolton in 1741, for the use of the clergy of the
diocese, and preserved by the archbishop, but there is
no special fund for its support; some of the clergy have
of late contributed to its augmentation by subscriptions
for the purchase of a few valuable modern works. The
infantry barracks are a handsome range of building, oc-
cupying three sides of a quadrangle, and are adapted to
the accommodation of one field officer, six other officers,
and 146 non-commissioned officers and privates, with
stabling for three horses and an hospital for 21 patients.
The markets are on Wednesday and Saturday: the
market-house, situated in the centre of the Main-street,
is not now open for the use of the public, except for
the purpose of weighing butter and other articles. Fairs
are held on March 26th and Aug. 7th; and in 1826 a
grant of a fair on the third Tuesday in every month was
made to Richard Pennefather, Esq., with a court of pie-
poudre. This is the residence of the chief magistrate of
police (Capt. Nangle), and a chief constabulary police
station for the district.
The town, as previously noticed, was erected into a
borough about 1216, by Archbishop Donat, who gave
burgage tenements to the burgesses, and is said to have
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also conferred on them the same privileges as were en-
joyed by the burgesses of Bristol, reserving to the see
a yearly rent of 12d. out of each burgage. Archbishop
Marian, in 1230, granted the town to the provost and
twelve burgesses, except only the shambles, then situ-
ated behind the present shambles, and the great bake-
house in John-Street, subsequently called Cunningham’s
Hall: he also granted them free pasture in all his lands
(except meadows, corn, and manors), and empowered
them to hold a hundred court and a court baron for
hearing and determining pleas, reserving out of these
grants only small chief-rents. Rich. II., in 1378, con-
firmed all the privileges of the corporation; and other
charters, chiefly confirmatory, were granted by Arch-
bishop Roland in 1557, and by Queen Elizabeth, in re-
ward of their dutiful conduct, in 1584. Chas. I., in
1637, granted a new charter, ordaining that the town or
borough should be called the “City of Cashel;” and
two years after, another, which is now the governing
charter. Jas. II. seized the franchises into his own
hands, pursuant to a decree of the exchequer, and sub-
sequently granted a charter which is now considered
void: their ancient rights and privileges were restored
to the corporation by King William, as before stated.
In the “New Rules” of the 25th of Chas. II, for
regulating corporations in Ireland, it was ordained that
the appointment of the mayor, recorder, and town-clerk
should be subject to the approbation of the lord-lieu-
tenant and privy council. The corporation, under the
style of the “Mayor, Aldermen, Bailiffs, Citizens, and
Commons of the City of Cashel,” consists of a mayor,
aldermen (limited by the charter to 17 in. number), two
bailiffs, and an unlimited number of commons, aided by
a recorder, town-clerk, two serjeants-at-mace, a sword-
bearer, and a crier; a treasurer is also appointed. The
mayor is elected annually on June 29th, by the court
of common hall, and is one of three persons nominated
by the aldermen from among themselves, but the choice
may be extended to the citizens and commons, at the
discretion of the aldermen; he is sworn into office on
Sept. 29th, and, with the concurrence of three aldermen,
has power to appoint a deputy during illness or ab-
sence. The aldermen, on vacancies occurring, are chosen
from among the freemen by the remaining aldermen,
and hold office for life. The recorder, according to
practice, is elected by the mayor and aldermen, but the
charter gives the power to the entire body; he holds
his office during good behaviour, and may appoint a
deputy. The bailiffs, by the charter, are eligible from
among the citizens, one by the mayor and aldermen and
one by the corporation at large; according to practice
they are elected annually on June 29th in the common
hall from among the freemen, on the recommendation
of the aldermen. The town-clerk is elected annu-
ally with the mayor and bailiffs; the sword-bearer is
eligible by the whole body, and holds his office during
good behaviour; and the serjeant-at-mace and the crier
are appointed by the mayor. The freedom is obtained
only by gift of the mayor and aldermen, who are the
ruling body of the corporation, and have the entire
management of its affairs. The city returned two mem-
bers to the Irish parliament until the Union, since which
it has sent one to the Imperial parliament. The right
of election was vested solely in the corporation, but by
the act of the 2nd of Wm, IV., cap. 88, has been ex-