Ireland Under Coercion: The Diary of an American (2 of 2): (2nd ed.) (1888)Hurlbert, William Henry
History
Ireland Under Coercion: The Diary of an American (2 of 2): (2nd ed.) (1888)
Hurlbert, William Henry
Ireland -- Description and travel; Ireland -- Politics and government -- 1837-1901
In November 1885 my offer of an abatement of 15 per cent. being refused,
a few tenants, I believe, clubbed their rents, and for the sake of peace
I then offered 20 per cent., which they accepted and paid. In October
1886 I hoped to prevent trouble by making the same offer of 20 per cent.
abatement on non-judicial and 10 per cent. on judicial rents. One man
took the latter abatement and paid. Then another tenant demanded 40 per
cent. My agent said he would give them time, and also take money on
account, the effect of which would be to put me out of court, and
prevent my getting an order of ejectment if I wanted to for the balance.
I thought this fair, and approved it, but I refused to make a 40 per
cent. all-round abatement, authorising my agent, however, to make what
abatements he liked in special cases. My words were, "I don't limit you
on the amount of abatement you give, or as to the number of tenants you
may choose so to treat." If this was not a fair free hand, what would
be? My agent afterwards told me he had no chance to make this known. The
fact is they meant to force the Plan on the tenants and me, and to
prevent any settlement but a "victory for the League!"
In my original notes of my conversation with Father Keller at Youghal, I
found the name of one tenant whom he introduced to me, and who certainly
told me that his holdings amounted to some £300 a year, and that they
had been in his family for "two hundred years," set down as Doyle--I so
printed it with the statements made. But Father Keller, to whom I
submitted my proofs, and who was so good as to revise them, struck out
the name of Doyle, and inserted that of Loughlin, putting the rental
down at £94 (vol. ii. p. 71). Of course I accept this correction. But on
my mentioning the matter to Mr. Ponsonby by letter, he replies to me
(July 27th) as follows:--
"Maurice Doyle is a son of Richard Doyle, who died in 1876, leaving
his widow to carry on his farm of 74 acres 1 rood, in the townland
of Ballykitty, which he held in 1858 at a rental of £50, 11s. In
1868 this was reduced to £48, 11s. In September 1871 he took in
addition a farm of 159 acres 2 roods at £130, in Burgen and
Ballykitty. He afterwards got a lease for thirty-one years of this
larger farm, with a portion of his earlier holding, for £155. This
left him to pay £21, 11s. for the residue of the earlier holding as
in 1858. But at his request, in 1876, the year of his death, I
reduced this to £17.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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