Sentenced to a month in Tralee, for "willful trespass"

[Ghostwheel]

I was recently searching the Petty Sessions for records of my ancestors.  Most of it is pretty typical.  Stolen turnips.  Wandering cows.  A cart without a name painted on it, but I was kind of shocked to see two men who I believe are my GG grandfather and a close relative, possibly his brother, sentenced to a month for trespass on someone's wood.

Assuming that there was not another man by the same name in the townland, which though sparsely populated, admittedly had a lot of his surname, probably all related, this was a man with young children.

I think there must be something more to it than what the clerk wrote down, but I can't think what.  Poaching?  Harvesting the wood? (it was February, but I assume they used peat for fuel)

I was hoping someone had an ancestor with a similar sentence and could provide some further insight.

The other fellow, seems to have, once, in another year, been charged with hunting with his dog, and also seemingly attempting to fire a gun at a man, perhaps as he fled, after caught hunting.

[philipsearching]

The question which leaps to my mind is: were they Catholic?  Some Protestant landowners were extremely mean-spirited!  Instead of just prosecuting poachers or illegal wood cutters, the landowner may have been in the habit of prosecuting all trespassers.  Maybe the landowner decided that your ancestors were "a bad lot" and went after them for every infraction of the law, however minor.

Oddly, I have a 3x great grandfather (Protestant) who prosecuted another 3x great grandfather (Catholic) - who was not related at the time - for poaching!

[Ghostwheel]

That is indeed a funny story.

Yes, indeed they were Catholic.  The name of the complainant is such a horrible scribble that I can't make it out.  But it almost looks like an initial and then two names, perhaps being the three more common in a Protestant.  Whoever he is, he is given an address separate from the area of trespass, which probably indicates some wealth.

Perhaps you could be right.  Along another side of my family, I was pretty shocked to see some of the anti-Irish language used against the brother of one of my GG grandfathers when he was trying to make an insurance claim for hay that had been set on fire.  Phrases like "drowning your shamrock" and "celebrating St Paddy's Day" (when it was far from the date.)

[rathmore]

What was his name?

[Ghostwheel]

Martin Connor of Curravougha, sometimes spelled in alternate ways like Curravaha or Curravaugha.  He lived in Glenbeigh Parish, but the court was in Killorglin.

The other man was named Timothy Connor of the same place.  At a guess, I would say he was his brother, or slightly less likely cousin, though I think the records of his birth probably don't survive.

The trespass happened on the 11 of February 1870, on the complainant's "wood at Drombrain."  I am not sure what the date of the trial was.  The complainant's address was Clifton Lodge, Killorglin, but I cannot read his name.

[heywood]

Hello,

Is the name William De Moleyns?

http://www.igp-web.com/IGPArchives/ire/kerry/censubs/ker-landowners-d-g.txt

Heywood

[Ghostwheel]

I would say definitely not.

Very wild guess: S. George Sayar or L. George Layar.  But I'll attach a jpeg of the name, to see if anyone can read it.

I suppose it is possible the man may have been an agent or some such.

[Sinann]

Military man I think.
Commandant E Mugessr Eagard. I doubt that's it.

[heywood]

I thought it could be Eagar as a surname.