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CHA
CHARLEVILLE, an in-
corporated market and post-
town (formerly a parliamen.
tary borough), in the parish
of RATHGOGAN, barony of
ORRERY and KILMORE,
county of CORK, and pro-
vince of MUNSTER, 29 miles
(N. by W.) from Cork, and
114¼ miles (S. W.) from Dub-
lin; containing 4766 inha-
bitants. This town, so named
in honour of Chas. II., is of
comparatively recent origin, having been founded by
Roger, first Earl of Orrery and Lord-President of
Munster, in the year 1661. That nobleman erected a
magnificent mansion here for his own residence, in
which his kept his court of presidency, and by his in-
fuence obtained for the inhabitants a charter of incor-
poration from Chas. II., dated May 29th, 1671. Char-
leville House was burnt by the Irish under the com-
mand of the Duke of Berwick, in 1690, and by his order,
after he had dined in it. In 1691, Col. Lumley came
to this place on the 18th of August, with a party of
soldiers, when the enemy posted here fled, leaving
many of their men killed and wounded. Captain Massey,
who had been left behind, fired his pistols at the sol-
diers of Williara’s army; and he and a cornet, being
taken prisoners with protections in their pockets, were
hanged as deserters. The town is situated on the mail
coach road from Cork to Limerick, near the border of the
latter county, and on the north-east side of an elevated
tract, from which stretches an extensive plain of rather
cheerless aspect. The land to the south is of superior
quality, producing abundant crops. At the western end
of the town the plantations of Sanders Park, the demesne
of C. Sanders, Esq., have a pleasing appearance. It
consists principally of two parallel streets communicat-
ing by two others crossing them at right angles; one
of which is a wide and spacious thoroughfare, the chief
place of traffic, particularly on market days. It is
neither paved nor lighted, but the inhabitants are well
supplied with water from springs and a public pump.
Nothing appears to have been done for the improvement
of this place for some years; but the lord of the manor,
the Earl of Cork and Orrery, is now renewing upon
advantageous terms a number of long leases that have
recently fallen in, which has given an impulse to its
improvement, and several new houses have in conse-
quence been lately erected: the number of houses, in
1831, was 741. A new road, eight Irish miles in length,
has been just completed from Charleville to Croom, that
will shorten the distance to Limerick. There are three
tanyards and a small blanket-manufactory in the town;
and immediately adjoining it are two large flour-mills.
The market is on Saturday, and is well supplied with
provisions. Fairs are held on the lOth of January,,
March I6th, May 12th, Aug. 15ths Oct. lOth, and Nov.
12th, for fat cattle, pigs, hardware, and other merchan-
dise; the last two are held by patent, the others are
of recent establishment. The shambles for butehers’
meat are in a small enclosed area at the back of the
court-house. A sub-branch of the National Bank of
Ireland has been recently established here, in connec-
tion with. the Branch Bank of Limerick. A military
324
CHA
force of two officers and 40 men is stationed here, but
there is no permanent barrack; and a constabulary
police station has been also established in the town.
By charter granted in the 23rd of Chas. II. to
Roger, Earl of Orrery, erecting his lands into a manor,
this town was made a free borough, and the inhabitants
were incorporated under the designation of the “Sove-
reign, Bailiffs, and Burgesses of the Borough of Charle-
ville.” The Corporation consists of a sovereign, two
bailiffs, twelve burgesses, and an indefinite number of
freemen. The sovereign and bailiffs are elected annually
from the burgesses, by the corporation, on the Monday
after St. John’s day, and sworn into office on the Mon-
day after Michaelmas-day. The burgesses are elected
by the corporation as vacancies occur by death or
otherwise, and the persons proposed are at the same
time made freemen of the borough. The sovereign is
a justice of the peace within the borough, andacts occa-
sionally in that capacity; he is also coroner and billet-
master. The corporation was some years since nearly
extinct, the members being reduced to the sovereign
and one bailiff only. In 1826 the sovereign and the
remaining bailiff re-elected themselves, and also filled up
all the vacancies; and the corporation at present con-
sists of a sovereign, two bailiffs, and twelve burges-
ses, as originally constituted. The charter conferred
upon the corporation the privilege of returning two
members to the Irish parliament, which was regu-
larly exercised till the Union, when the borough was
disfranchised, and the £15,000 awarded as compensa-
tion was paid in moieties to the Earls of Shannon and
Cork. The sovereign, or his deputy, is usually appointed
seneschal of the manor, the greater portion of which
extends into the county of Limerick; and as such. he
holds a court of record, the jurisdiction of which ex-
tends to the determination of pleas not exceeding £200
late currency: the proceedings are according to the usual
course of common law, and actions are commenced either
by arrest of the person, attachment of the goods, or ser-
viceable writ; and under the act of the 7’th and 8th of
Geo. IV., cap. 59, he has also a civil bill jurisdiction.
Petty sessions are held in the town every alternate
Monday, by the county magistrates. The court and
market-house is a small plain building on the north.
side of the main street.
The ancient parish church of Rathgogan has been for
a long time in ruins, and the present church, erected by
the founder of the town, is situated on the south side of
the main street: it is a plain building without either
tower or spire; the walls have been lately embattled.
with hewn limestone. The Roman Catholic chapel, a neat
and spacious edifice, erected by subscription in 1812, is
ornamented with quoins, cornices, and window mould-
ings of hewn stone; the altar is large and remarkably
elegant, and is embellished with several paintings of su-
perior execution; a handsome cupola was added to the
chapel in 1829, and adjoining it is a parochial house for
the priest. An edifice has been lately erected for the
meetings of Bible and other similar associations, also as a
place of preaching for occasional preachers. There are se-
veral schools, the minuter details of which will be found
in the article on the parish of Rathgogan. Among these
is a national school recently established, for which.
a reraarkably neat building of hewn limestone has been
erected, at an expense of £800, of which £600 was raised