The petition document having been presented, in due form, the LieutenantGeneral forwarded it to the Lord Lieutenant for His Grace's consideration and directions; but notwithstanding the very submissive tone of the petition, and the alleged forgiveness of the outrages by the Bishop, Mayor, &c., the Duke of Ormonde wrote to the Lords Justices "ordering the dismissal of Major Chaytor from the army, as being commanding officer he should have prevented such riotous proceedings." The Bishop, however, was destined for further troubles. He received a threatening letter "in an unknown hand," (a very good hand too) "if the seat in St. Mary's Church, Limerick, which Alderman Colpoys enjoys, be not given to Mr. Bindon." The letter was sent by a messenger, and was wrapped up in an envelope, inside which was the following note: "Sir, The Bearer being not well acquainted with yr. towne, I presume to desire the favour, that you will send one of your servants with this Letter to my Lord Bishop's, that when he returns tomorrow he may have an answer thereto, for Sir, Your faithfull humble servt., Bridge, the 1st June, (1710). JOHN COLE." We are not told that His Lordship complied with the mandate. But notwithstanding his sufferings and annoyances, as well from the military rioters as from members of his own congregation, the Right Rev. Dr. Thomas Smyth survived them and lived to a ripe old age. Matters became somewhat more tranquil afterwards. On the 21st of May, 1712, peace was proclaimed in Limerick between England and France by the Mayor, William Butler, Esq., the Sheriff, the Corporation, accompanied by the Earl of Inchiquin and his son, the Lord O'Brien, and many other gentlemen, all on horseback; the trades also appeared with their usual colours.2 The same year William Butler being Mayor, His Grace James Butler, Duke of Ormonde, and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, came to Limerick. The inhabitants went to meet him as far as Bruff. The streets were lined by the army. The Governor, Mayor, Bishop, Clergy, Corporation, met him at St. John's Gate, where the Governor stopped his coach, " demanding if he was the Lord Lieutenant, James, Duke of Ormonde? Upon his avowing that he was, and at the same time showing his star, the Governor delivered him the keys of the City, the Mayor delivered him the sword and mace, and the Bishop gave him the keys of the Church, &c.; the great guns then fired and the bells rung. He was conducted to the Bishop's house, where he then lodged, and the army fired three rounds.” under the misfortune of being suspended and being at great Expenses in Towne, and totally strangers, and being wholly unable to support themselves and Familyes any longer, Yor. Petis. therefore humbly begg (the Premises being considered) yor. Excllcy. to take off their suspensions or to grant such other relief as to your Excellency shall seem fit, and yor. Petis. further pray for and entirely depend on your Excllency's clemency and goodnesse in remitting and forgiving them. and your Pets. shall for EDMD. BARTLETT, JOHN CUNNINGHAM, ever pray, &c. 1713.-Dr. James Strich, age 71 years, Catholic Pastor of Rathkeale, was vicar-general of the Diocese of Limerick, the See being long vacant of a Bishop.1 This year there was a general election: among those anxious to represent in Parliament the city of Limerick was Mr. Ingoldsby Phipps, son of Sir Constantine Phipps, the then notorious Lord Chancellor of Ireland. As the Protestant Bishop had very great interest in the city, and as he was potent not only with the anglican clergy, but with the Mayor and Corporation, the Lord Chancellor2 zealously sought his influence on behalf of his son. Local interests and local men were more potent, and Mr. Henry Ingoldsby and Mr. George Roche were returned. Diverging for a moment from these matters, it may be remarked that Lord Orrery, having had considerable landed property in the County of Limerick, had also much to do with tithes, &c., and a fair share of correspondence with the Bishop. Several of the Protestant Churches at this period were falling, or had fallen into ruins, and attention having been called to the extremely dilapidated state of the Chancel of Kilfinane, Lord Orrery wrote to the Bishop in these terms: My Sir, "London, Feby. 2nd, 1714. I have received your Lrds Letter of the 19th of Novb. wh. I have thus long delayed giving an answer to only that yourself, first speak with Mr. Badham about the business of it who is now here. I have now talk'd with him upon it, and given him the necessary orders, for supplying my proportion towards repairing the Chancel of Kilfinane. He tells me there are some perquisites due to me which he has not yet been able to receive, but by your Lordships assistance he hopes he shall. I will not trouble your Lordship with a further explanation of the matter, but leave it to him to admit &c., and During the mayoralty of Mr. Hezechiah Holland in 1714, peace was proclaimed in Limerick between Anne Queen of England and Philip V. King of Spain. As on all other similar occasions the Corporation and public functionaries made a great display. 1 White's MSS. • Lord Chancellor Phipps was one of the Lords Justices with Lieut. Gen. Ingoldsby in 1711. General Ingoldsby died in the Government, January 29th, 1711. Lord Chancellor Middleton succeeded Šir Constantine Phipps on the Irish woolsack on the 20th of March, 1716. Sir Constantine wrote a peculiarly small and exceedingly neat hand, and "dried" his letter to the Bishop, not with blotting paper, but with sand of a shining substance. White's MSS. CHAPTER XXXIX. TROUBLES IN THE CORPORATION OF LIMERICK-ACCUSATIONS AND RECRIMINATIONS-LOYALTY AND DISLOYALTY-PETITIONS AND COUNTER PETITIONS —PERSECUTIONS, ETC-POSITION OF THE CATHOLIC CLERGY. THE year 1715, was rendered famous in Limerick by violent disputes between the Whig and Tory-rather between the Orange and the old Loyalists parties, into which the Corporation was already split. As yet, the notion of the success of the Prince of Wales, King James's son, had not ceased to be entertained by a considerable number, even of Protestants in Ireland; and whilst their "honours" were dividing the loaves and fishes among themselves, and leaving a legacy of debt and poverty to their successors to the seventh generation, jealousies arose among them, which developed their ugly features in the shape of mutual recriminations on many occasions. Though they joined in hate against their Catholic fellow citizens—if indeed Catholics could now be designated by the name of citizens at all, they did not join in love among themselves. This state of things was exemplified in a remarkable manner early in this year, when "underhand" representations were made to the government, reflecting on the loyalty to the Hanoverian rule, which had just commenced on the death of Queen Anne, of certain corporators, including Mr. William Franklin, the Mayor, and involving in the charge, the Protestant Bishop, Dr. Smyth, who, it was alleged by his enemies "disturbed the government," and "was present at a meeting of the Corporate Body, when a sum of £150 was improperly voted to His Worship the Mayor." So gross and injurious a charge was promptly met and refuted, for on the 11th of October, a meeting of the Corporation was held, at which it was resolved, "that it does not appear to us, that the Right Rev. Father in God, Thomas Lord Bishop of Limerick, has busied himself in our corporate affairs, and to obstruct the service of the government. In testimony whereof, we have put our hands, this 11th of October, 1715." This document, or resolution, which is rather obscure in its phraseology, bears the subjoined signatures : Previous to this, viz. on the 18th of April, 1715, the Mayor, in vindication of his own loyalty and that of his brother Corporators, which had been seriously impeached, wrote to the Bishop, who was at the time in Dublin, at the house of his brother-in-law, Thomas Burgh, Esq., Accountant General, "bitterly complaining that at the previous assizes a few aldermen and burgesses of the City of Limerick drew up and signed an address to His Majesty George I., who had just ascended the throne of England, in an unprecedented manner, having neither consulted the Mayor, Recorder, Justices of Peace for the city, concerning any congress, nor desired their concurrence to what they had drawn; whereas affairs of that nature, as your Lordship knows, are to take their rise in an assembly of the Common Council, and to be proposed by the Mayor. The reason of that clandestine proceeding was that they might have an opportunity of reflecting on the magistrates and others, their fellow-citizens, as disaffected to his Majesty's accession and government. The multiplicity of important business at the assizes, and the extraordinary application of my Lord Chief Baron, on whom we were obliged to attend, prevent our having an address ready to send with him. Therefore, by the advice of our Recorder, it was agreed to defer drawing one up until the sessions. But lest the misrepresentation of some of our own members should make any impression on the Government, I have with this sent the Citty's address to His Majestie, which I desire your Lordship to present to the Lords Justices, and to do the Citty right by letting them know the truth of the matter. "I am your Lordship's most humble and most dutiful servant, "WM. FRANKLIN." The seal to this letter has a crowned rose, a thistle and a rose. The address bears the following 254 names; very few of which are represented in the present times in the city of Limerick : Hen. Barclay John Boyd, Jun. Ed. Stokes Tho. Moulton Wm. Buxton Tym. Holland Sam. Haly Ric. Butt Tho. Barrot Jas. Murphy Emanuel Mounsell Ed. Crawley Jas. Cunningham Jn. Ryan Geo. How Step. Lambard Rog. Doherty Jn. Piercy Tho. Keys Jos. Laud Tho. Hyes Tho Woods Jn. Carr Jn. Archer Jn. Rork Denis Gaffney Ric. Thomson Abrah. Houth Dunstill Atkinson Ed. Bourke Pat. Mac Danniel Ric. Cepgland Walr. Wall These demonstrations produced the desired effect of allaying for a season the excitement between the hostile factions in the common council-and their honours thought it better policy to put on at least a mask of moderation, in order, the more effectually to carry out their joint schemes of personal aggrandizement, and lend their aid towards the iniquitous operation of the "no Popery laws," which though the Priest-catcher had become obnoxious for a while to all classes-even to Protestants-so much so, that though the odious informer was often assailed with clubs ** These names cannot be decyphered. |