Wexford Town - connections & tales

[elizabeth5]

Hi just found this maybe not your  Giles but have a look anyway.

[debi1958]

Hi
You seem so informed on Wexford Town that I thought I would ask if you knew the name of the wife of Patrick Berry, Back St Wexford .  Patrick died in WWI in 1917 , leaving a wife and 4 children, one of whom I believe was Kate (Kathleen) His widow then remarried a man named Smyth and they had 3 more children.  Love hearing all about the Wexford area. Keep up the good work.

[nickr90]

Wexford in the Past
By Nicky Rossiter

For those who were kind enough to comment on the chronicles of 1917, we take another leap back into the past this week to look at what Wexford Corporation were up to over the years.

1888 - October - Land in other parts of the town was mortgaged to raise the £ 2,500 needed to build 26 labourers dwellings at the Old Pound.

1889 - It was decided to open the new cemetery at Crosstown and not at Mulgannon as previously considered.

1902 - August - There was much discussion about gas lamps at Hill Street and Roche’s Road. At Roche’s Road the problem revolved around which should get priority, lighting the steps from Roche’s Terrace or the church yard opposite.
LOCAL CHARGES: Howard Rowe proposed that the practice of emptying dustbins by Corporation men and cars, for free, be stopped and a yearly charge imposed.
Alderman Furlong said that Mr. Hughes had suggested the same before and was laughed at.

1914 - The Corporation built 44 new houses in locations opposite the Tate School, at Hill Street and Westgate.
A 3 roomed house cost £ 125 to build and was rented at 3/= (15p) per week. The 4 roomed houses cost £140 and the rent was 3/1 per week.
These houses cost £10 more than those already built at Distillery Road.
Eleven 5 roomed houses at Newtown Road would cost £180 each while four 5 roomed houses of superior quality proposed for Westgate would cost £ 216 each.
An estimated 250 to 260 homes were needed to house "the working classes of the town".
April - The Corporation refused permission for Miss Chenevix of the Irish Women's Reform League to use The Town Hall, "in furtherance of the suffragette propaganda".
July - Robert Coffey sought election for St. Mary's Ward with an advertisement villifying  "the scourge of Larkinism which brought so much misery and ill feeling into Wexford". He called for support from "genuine trade unionists in the absence of a Workingman Candidate". He said that Larkin preached "pernicious and socialist doctrine...to upset the pleasant relations which had existed until the advent of his Lieutenant P.T. Daly into town a couple of years ago". This is an interesting reference to the Lockout of 1911 only three years after the event.
September - The Post Master asked for Corporation permission to close post offices at Barrack Street and North Main Street at 7.30 p.m. instead of 8 p.m. They agreed.
A letter from M.J. O'Connor once more raised the possibility of opening a new road from George Street to "the road at the Mercy Convent". He stated that this would open up land at the south west of John street for development.  This would eventually become John's Road.

1939 - For houses at Davitt Road and William Street, the cost of Gas Company piping for six lights per house was £1 each after base pipes being laid.
The names of people applying for Corporation houses were published in the newspaper reports of the meeting along with how the councilors voted on the allocation.
The Corporation discussed the parking of cars in the horse and cart tracks at Anne Street, causing the carts to have to use the middle of the road. These tracks were specifically provided to allow horses to negotiate the upper part of the street.
Winter Relief work was used to surface town streets and to lay footpaths.
Six and a half acres of land was purchased from Robert Harvey and another plot from Rev. Doran of St. Peter's College for the new road between Summerhill and Whitemill.

Just a reminder - please don't ask me gaeneology questions - just Wexford TOWN queries.

[nickr90]

Monck Street
Monck Street takes it's name from General Monck who was granted the land and the ferry rights in the 1650s. It was previously known as Ferryboat Lane, from where the ferry to the opposite bank of the river departed prior to the construction of the 1794 bridge.
Mr T.R. Burrowes opened an evening school in Monck Street in 1809 to instruct young ladies in English grammar, reading, writing, arithmetic, history, geography and use of globes. The fee was one guinea per quarter and classes were held Tues/Wed/Thur/Fri 4.30 to 6.30.
In 1809 No. 7 was to let with good stable and yard, furnished or unfurnished.
Mr Coopers Olympic Circus pitched at corner of Monck Street with quay in 1819.
The Crown Hotel was established in 1885.

On Sunday May 6th. 1917 a meeting took place in Monck Street to formally establish a Trade and Labour Council, later Wexford Trades Council. From the Amalgamated Society of House and Ship Painters came P. Furlong, J. Goodison and P. Roberts. John Sinnott and Thomas Walsh represented the Carpenters and Joiners, while the Amalgamated Society of Engineers sent J. Kearns, W. White and D. Costelloe. Alderman Richard Corish and R. Crosbie attended for the Sailors and Firemen's Union, with P. Rossiter and D. McDonald speaking for the Transport Workers Union. From the Typographical Association came M. Martin, W. Curtis and P. White, from the Plasterer's Society, E. Redmond and J. Doyle.The Incorporated Guild of Stone and Bricklayers sent M. Lacy and J. Keelan and the National Union of Railwaymen's delegates were D. O'Byrne and Thomas Doyle.
On July 7th 1922 the first Co. Wexford republican death of Civil War occurred in Monck Street, man from Belmullett working in Wexford was shot.

[22SIMON90]

HI, I'm not sure where to start looking in Rossalre for connections to my ancestors from the area. I know my great great grandfather was
Richard Walshe who married Catherine Wickham  from Rosslare born in the 1870s and that his sons Richard Walshe, John and Jess Walshe (born in the 1890s) all served on the Rosslare/Wexford Lifeboats.
John Walsh was a diver and gunnery instructor in the Navy. We had a family tale that he and a fellow lifeboat man went out to a sinking ship in a small rowing boat which after rescuing the crew then sprouted a leak which they plugged with a stale loaf from the boats emergency supply tin!
Richard Walsh was also a lifeboat man as were his 2 sons Richard Walsh and Jim Walsh.Both has medals for gallantry.Richard I think was a Coxwain?
Richard also then had his own son and nephew on the lifeboat as well as 2 brother in laws who were Duggans.
Jess (REAL NAME WILLIAM) Walsh also served on the lifeboat and coastguard but not as long.
I found yourFethard lifeboat disaster and this is my ancestors I believe Jim Walsh!
 
I wsn't sure if there are records for the lifeboats going back this far or if any of the wickhams and walshs still associated to the lifeboat now may be related and able to help me at all? Any help at all would be wonderful and really appreciated.  My  daughter is currently doing lifeguard training here in Gower so we are keeping  the tradition alive in the family even now.
Many thanks
Claire Banbury
Gower
Swansea

[nickr90]

Wickhams, Walshes, Duggans are still involved especially in the Rosslare Harbour lifeboat.
There is book - "The Lifeboats of Rosslare Harbour and Wexford" that might be of interest. The ISBN number in case you decide to order it is 978-1-84588-574-8

[22SIMON90]

I've just ordered the book, many thanks for that! Jim Walsh was the man in th lifeboat rescue you documented in another post what a story that was and what brave men they must have been to row out in such a storm. Certainly people to be very proud of.

[genseacher]

Nick
Thanks for all your information. Its great.
I am researching Rossiters of Wexford and Noctors of Tara Hill

[gc1]

Hi Nick,
Just a quick question, I am trying to find out more about my mum's family (Kavanagh) from Our Lady's Island Co Wexford. My question is can you suggest a good book to purchase that would help me? I have tried on here before but with not much joy. I have asked my uncles & aunties but they don't seem to know much.
Thanks
Gerry