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The RIC Collection (Special DVD) The RIC Collection (Special DVD)(Reference #IE0352)
ISBN: 978-1-84630-567-5
This special release DVD includes the following titles, which are each already available on CD, as follows:

1. Robert Curtis, The History of the Royal Irish Constabulary, 1871 (IE0064)

2. The Royal Irish Constablulary Manual or Guide to the Discharge of Police Duties, 6th Edition 1909 (IE0078)

3. Royal Irish Constabulary List and Directory for the half-year commencing 1st July 1889 (IE0075)

4. Royal Irish Constabulary List and Directory for the half-year commencing 1st January 1910 (IE0085)

5. Royal Irish Constabulary List and Directory, January 1915 (IE0089)

6. Royal Irish Constabulary List and Directory, January 1920 (IE0093)

Individually these books would normally cost €53.04 (ex VAT) or €64.18 (incl. VAT). All these titles are on one DVD at the great price of €41.24 (ex VAT). Its a must have for anyone interested in the Royal Irish Constabulary.

 


Price:   €41.24 (€50.73 Including VAT at 23%) VAT is only charged on customers in the European Union



The Royal Irish Constablulary Manual or Guide to the Discharge of Police Duties, 6th Edition 1909 The Royal Irish Constablulary Manual or Guide to the Discharge of Police Duties, 6th Edition 1909(Reference #IE0078)
ISBN: 1-84630-228-5

First published in 1866 and republished here on fully-searchable CD-Rom is the sixth edition of The Royal Irish Constabulary Manual, published in 1909.

While the first code of regulations for the Royal Irish Constabulary had been published in 1837, the year after the service had been reorganised, it was not until 1866 the a complete manual was issued, entitled The Royal Irish Constabulary Manual; or Guide to the Discharge of Police Duties. The preface to this was written by J. Stewart Wood, Inspector General of the Constabulary Force in Ireland and in this Wood noted that while it was impossible to anticipate every event and and difficulty a policeman might encounter while attempting to discharge his duty, the Constabulary Manual would afford many of the answers to many of the questions and be suggestive of others.

By the time that Neville Chamberlain then Inspector General of the Royal Irish Constabulary came to write his preface for the 6th edition in 1909 the work of the police and risen dramatically. Although much of this was to do with the prevention and detection of crime and administration of Civil Law in Ireland, Chamberlain's 6th edition of the RIC Manual was published at a time of growing civil unrest in Ireland.

The RIC Manual is in many ways a fascinating social document illustrating all the areas of daily life which might be administered by civil law. The Manual is introduced by a miscellany of advice to officers and men, ranging from warrants, civility and courtesy to the roles and positions of constables, sergeants and inspectors, both to the population as a whole, but also to other strands of civil administration such as magistrates and judges. Part II of The Manual treats on Statutes relating to common minor offences and the expected actions of the police. These includes Acts relating to dogs, guns, poaching, fishing drink, cars, lighting as well as acts of law relating to children. Part III deals with less common offences that an officer might encounter in the course of discharging his duties. These include revenue, customs, poisonous substances, explosives, public health and diseases. The final section details some of the most serious offences, which is introduced by a section on legal terminology and definitions. Part IV includes indictable offences such as homicide, larceny, forgery, perjury concealment of birth and offences against women and girls. Each Section of the Manual, sixty in total, is subdivided into a number of subsections in the form of questions and the appropriate response. For example, in Part IV under the heading Concealment of Birth, regulated under 24 and 25 Vic., c. 100, s. 60., The Manual offers ten situations and actions that should be followed. In subsection 6 the Manual asks: What should the Police be mindful of in such a case? The answer given by the Manual is: To act with extreme caution in order to avoid inflicting cruelty on an unfortunate woman who may have secretly given birth to a child, but yet may not have committed this offence.

The Royal Irish Constabulary Manual concludes with how to examine a witness, a full schedule of offences and appendices on finger prints and illegal fishing implements. In total, The Royal Irish Constabulary Manual provides a fascinating insight into the work of the Royal Irish Constabulary and its administration of Civil Law in Ireland. 


Price:   €8.15 (€10.02 Including VAT at 23%) VAT is only charged on customers in the European Union



Royal Irish Constabulary List and Directory for the half-year commencing 1st July 1889, 1889. Royal Irish Constabulary List and Directory for the half-year commencing 1st July 1889, 1889.(Reference #IE0075)
ISBN: 1-84630-217-X

Originally printed and published in Dublin by John Mullany of Fleet Street and republished here on fully-searchable CD-Rom, is the Royal Irish Constabulary List & Directory; Containing Lists of the Constabulary Departments, Dublin Metropolitan Police, Resident Magistrates, Coast Guards, Etc. Published half-yearly, this publication is numbered 96.

The etcetera component to the RIC Directory is contained in the main in the advertisements contained therein and also a miscellany of information to the general reader contained in the Directories introductory pages, some of which is extremely useful and some quite strange. For example, we are informed that in the year ending general income tax was at the rate of six old pence in the pound, which amounts to less than two new pence in the pound and the average letter cost one old penny. The introductory section also includes lists of cabinet and non-cabinet misters in Her Majesty's Government.

The RIC Directory proper begins with a seniority list of the RIC from its then Inspector General, Sir Andrew Reed, down. From the rank of County Inspector down the Directory provides by date of appointment the name of officer, date of appointment, whether or not they had been awarded good service pay and/or been awarded the Crimean Medal as well as any university or professional qualifications gained. This is followed by alphabetical lists of county and district inspectors together with the dates of their appointments from 3rs through to 1st class. Further lists for this group of RIC officers include the counties, stations and post towns in which they were currently posted, alphabetical lists of RIC Stations, promotions and transfers as well as biographical return for the half year for officers who had received commendations.

The list for county and district inspectors is followed by lists for head constables and sergeants - the Directory does not include details on members of the RIC and Dublin Metropolitan Police below these ranks - which includes alphabetical lists together with RIC Service number and the stations and post towns to which these officers were attached. Part 1 of the Directory in concluded with the publication of promotions in the half year and a listing of all of the RIC Stations in the country together with the district the station served and the name of the Sergeants in Charge.

Part 2 of the RIC Directory begins with an alphabetical list of resident magistrates, divisional and county clerks, county coroners, count court judges and Chairmen of Quarter Sessions as well as the names of Clerks of the Peace, Part 3 treats on members of the Dublin Metropolitan Police, the divisions of the force in the City with the names of the sergeant in charge of each station; this section is concluded with lists of officers in the pay of the Coast Guard Service and lists of Hut Stations and Protection Posts. The RIC Directory is concluded with some seventy or so pages of advertisements, presumably aimed at the officers and men of the Royal Irish Constabulary. Bearing this in mind these range from the sublime - the sale of Penny Farthing in order to better carry out one's official duties - to fishing tackle, watches, whiskey and 'fine bright jewellery'. 


Price:   €8.15 (€10.02 Including VAT at 23%) VAT is only charged on customers in the European Union



Royal Irish Constabulary List and Directory for the half-year commencing 1st January 1910, 1910. Royal Irish Constabulary List and Directory for the half-year commencing 1st January 1910, 1910.(Reference #IE0085)
ISBN: 1-84630-243-9

Originally printed and published in Dublin by John Falconer of Upper Sackville Street and republished here on fully-searchable CD-Rom, is the Royal Irish Constabulary List & Directory; Containing Lists of the Constabulary Departments, Dublin Metropolitan Police, Resident Magistrates, Coast Guards, Etc. Appearing bi-annually on 31st January and 31st July, this issue is numbered 137 and was published in January 1910 and contains 284 printed pages.

The etcetera component to the RIC Constabulary List & Directory is contained in the main in the advertisements contained therein and also a miscellany of information to the general reader contained in the directory's introductory pages, some of which is extremely useful and some quite strange. For example, we are informed that in the year ending 31st January 1910 general income tax was at the rate of one shilling and two pence in the pound, which amounts to six new pence in the pound and the average letter cost one old penny. The introductory section also includes lists of cabinet and non-cabinet misters in Her Majesty's Government.

The RIC Constabulary List & Directory proper begins with a seniority list of the RIC from its then Inspector General, Colonel Sir Neville Chamberlain, down. From the rank of County Inspector down the RIC Constabulary List & Directory provides by date of appointment the name of officers, the date of appointment, whether or not they had been awarded good service pay and/or been awarded medals as well as any university or professional qualifications gained. This is followed by alphabetical lists of county and district inspectors together with the dates of their appointments from 3rd through to 1st class. Further lists for this group of RIC officers include the counties, stations and post towns in which they were currently posted, alphabetical lists of RIC Stations, promotions and transfers as well as biographical returns for the half year for officers who had received commendations and the reasons this commendations and citations were given.

The list for county and district inspectors is followed by lists for head constables and sergeants - the RIC Constabulary List & Directory does not include details on members of the RIC and Dublin Metropolitan Police below these ranks - which includes alphabetical lists together with RIC Service numbers and the stations and post towns to which these officers were attached. Part 1 of the RIC Constabulary List & Directory is concluded with the publication of promotions in the half year and a listing of all of the RIC Stations in the country together with the district the station served and the name of the Sergeants in Charge.

Part 2 of the RIC Constabulary List & Directory for January 1910 begins with an alphabetical list of resident magistrates, divisional and county clerks, county coroners, county court judges, chairmen of the various Quarter Sessions as well as the names of Clerks of the Peace, Part 3 treats on members of the Dublin Metropolitan Police, the divisions of the force in the City Dublin with the names of the sergeant in charge of each station; this section is concluded with lists of officers in the pay of the Coast Guard Service and lists of Hut Stations and Protection Posts throughout Ireland. RIC Constabulary List & Directory for January 1910 is concluded with some seventy or so pages of advertisements, presumably aimed at the officers and men of the Royal Irish Constabulary. The majority of these advertisements are for watches and other time pieces, bicycles and jewellery.

The RIC Constabulary List & Directory for January 1910 is the complete list and guide to the Royal Irish Constabulary, Dublin Metropolitan Police and other civil authorities in Ireland for the half-year for which it was issued. 


Price:   €8.15 (€10.02 Including VAT at 23%) VAT is only charged on customers in the European Union



Royal Irish Constabulary List and Directory, January 1915 Royal Irish Constabulary List and Directory, January 1915(Reference #IE0089)
ISBN: 1-84630-247-1

Originally printed and published in Dublin by John Falconer of Upper Sackville Street and republished here on fully-searchable CD-Rom, is the Royal Irish Constabulary List & Directory; Containing Lists of the Constabulary Departments, Dublin Metropolitan Police, Resident Magistrates, Coast Guards, Etc. Appearing bi-annually on 31st January and 31st July, this issue is numbered 147 and was published in January 1915 and contains 290 printed pages.

The etcetera component to the RIC Constabulary List & Directory is contained in the main in the advertisements contained therein and also a miscellany of information to the general reader contained in the directory's introductory pages, some of which is extremely useful and some quite strange. For example, we are informed that in the year ending 31st March 1915 general income tax was at the rate of one shilling and three pence in the pound, which amounts to just over six new pence in the pound and the average letter cost one old penny. The introductory section also includes lists of cabinet and non-cabinet misters in Her Majesty's Government.

The RIC Constabulary List & Directory proper begins with a seniority list of the RIC from its then Inspector General, Colonel Sir Neville Chamberlain, down. From the rank of County Inspector down the RIC Constabulary List & Directory provides by date of appointment the name of officers, the date of appointment, whether or not they had been awarded good service pay and/or been awarded medals as well as any university or professional qualifications gained. This is followed by alphabetical lists of county and district inspectors together with the dates of their appointments from 3rd through to 1st class. Further lists for this group of RIC officers include the counties, stations and post towns in which they were currently posted, alphabetical lists of RIC Stations, promotions and transfers as well as biographical returns for the half year for officers who had received commendations and the reasons this commendations and citations were given.

The list for county and district inspectors is followed by lists for head constables and sergeants - the RIC Constabulary List & Directory does not include details on members of the RIC and Dublin Metropolitan Police below these ranks - which includes alphabetical lists together with RIC Service numbers and the stations and post towns to which these officers were attached. Part 1 of the RIC Constabulary List & Directory is concluded with the publication of promotions in the half year and a listing of all of the RIC Stations in the country together with the district the station served and the name of the Sergeants in Charge.

Part 2 of the RIC Constabulary List & Directory for January 1915 begins with an alphabetical list of resident magistrates, divisional and county clerks, county coroners, county court judges, chairmen of the various Quarter Sessions as well as the names of Clerks of the Peace, Part 3 treats on members of the Dublin Metropolitan Police, the divisions of the force in the City Dublin with the names of the sergeant in charge of each station; this section is concluded with lists of officers in the pay of the Coast Guard Service and lists of Hut Stations and Protection Posts throughout Ireland. RIC Constabulary List & Directory for January 1915 is concluded with some seventy or so pages of advertisements, presumably aimed at the officers and men of the Royal Irish Constabulary. The majority of these advertisements are for watches and other time pieces, bicycles and jewellery.

The RIC Constabulary List & Directory for January 1915 is the complete list and guide to the Royal Irish Constabulary, Dublin Metropolitan Police and other civil authorities in Ireland for the half-year for which it was issued. 


Price:   €8.15 (€10.02 Including VAT at 23%) VAT is only charged on customers in the European Union



Royal Irish Constabulary List and Directory, January 1920 Royal Irish Constabulary List and Directory, January 1920(Reference #IE0093)
ISBN: 1-84630-276-5

Originally printed and published in Dublin by John Falconer of Upper Sackville Street and republished here on fully-searchable CD-Rom, is the Royal Irish Constabulary List & Directory; Containing Lists of the Constabulary Departments, Dublin Metropolitan Police, Resident Magistrates, Coast Guards, Etc. Appearing bi-annually on 31st January and 31st July, this issue is numbered 157 and was published in January 1920 and contains 290 printed pages. This issue is especially poignant, issued during the War of Independence the Royal Irish Constabulary had less than two years left in existence and the officers and men of the RIC were employed in one of the most dangerous occupations in the world, illustrated by the published list of deceased officers in the previous six months. This fact was perhaps reflected in their rates of pay. With men leaving the service in their droves the starting salary for a constable with less than six months service had risen from £39 a year in 1889 to £80 in January 1920.

The etcetera component to the RIC Constabulary List & Directory is contained in the main of advertisements and also a miscellany of information to the general reader contained in the directory's introductory pages, some of which is extremely useful and some quite strange. For example, we are informed that in the year ending 31st March 1920 general income tax was at the rate of six shillings in the pound - it had been one shilling and three pence in the pound, only five years earlier - and the average letter cost one old penny. The introductory section also includes lists of cabinet and non-cabinet misters in Her Majesty's Government.

The RIC Constabulary List & Directory proper begins with a seniority list of the RIC from its then Inspector General, Brigadier-general Sir Joseph A. Byrne down. From the rank of County Inspector down the RIC Constabulary List & Directory provides by date of appointment the name of officers, the date of appointment, whether or not they had been awarded good service pay and/or been awarded medals as well as any university or professional qualifications gained. This is followed by alphabetical lists of county and district inspectors together with the dates of their appointments from 3rd through to 1st class. Further lists for this group of RIC officers include the counties, stations and post towns in which they were currently posted, alphabetical lists of RIC Stations, promotions and transfers as well as biographical returns for the half year for officers who had received commendations and the reasons this commendations and citations were given.

The list for county and district inspectors is followed by lists for head constables and sergeants - the RIC Constabulary List & Directory does not include details on members of the RIC and Dublin Metropolitan Police below these ranks - which includes alphabetical lists together with RIC Service numbers and the stations and post towns to which these officers were attached. Part 1 of the RIC Constabulary List & Directory is concluded with the publication of promotions in the half year and a listing of all of the RIC Stations in the country together with the district the station served and the name of the Sergeants in Charge.

Part 2 of the RIC Constabulary List & Directory for January 1920 begins with an alphabetical list of resident magistrates, divisional and county clerks, county coroners, county court judges, chairmen of the various Quarter Sessions as well as the names of Clerks of the Peace, Part 3 treats on members of the Dublin Metropolitan Police, the divisions of the force in the City Dublin with the names of the sergeant in charge of each station; this section is concluded with lists of officers in the pay of the Coast Guard Service and lists of Hut Stations and Protection Posts throughout Ireland. RIC Constabulary List & Directory for January 1920 is concluded with some seventy or so pages of advertisements, presumably aimed at the officers and men of the Royal Irish Constabulary. The majority of these advertisements are for watches and other time pieces, bicycles and jewellery.

The RIC Constabulary List & Directory for January 1920 is the complete list and guide to the Royal Irish Constabulary, Dublin Metropolitan Police and other civil authorities in Ireland for the half-year for which it was issued. 


Price:   €8.18 (€10.06 Including VAT at 23%) VAT is only charged on customers in the European Union



Robert Curtis, The History of the Royal Irish Constabulary, 1871 Robert Curtis, The History of the Royal Irish Constabulary, 1871(Reference #IE0064)
ISBN: 1-84630-202-1

The History of the Royal Irish Constabulary was written by Robert Curtis, a county inspector for the RIC. This second edition of the work was published in London and Dublin in 1871 and was dedicated to the Duke of Abercorn and is republished here on fully-searchable CD-Rom.

The History of the Royal Irish Constabulary begins with a description of the 'policing' of Ireland prior to the introduction of the Peace Preservation Act, which introduced the first organised police force in Ireland in 1814. However, the beginning of the Royal Irish Constabulary was marked by the introduction of what became known as the Peace Preservation Act in 1822. This Act allowed for the establishment of a force in each of the baronies of Ireland each with a chief constable, inspectors general and constables under the jurisdiction of the British Civil Administration at Dublin Castle. This force initially numbered just over 5,300 service men, but by 1841 this number had increased to 8,600. Reorganised in 1836 by Thomas Drummond, the RIC received its first code of regulations the following year. Life as an RIC constable was tough and the pay was poor. Coupled with this the RIC was confronted from its establishment by large-scale civil unrest in Ireland, first during the Tithe Wars and then from the so-called Ribbonmen. Up until the early 1840s, Curtis contents himself with descriptive analysis of the internal organisation and reorganisation of the police. However, from 1842 onward, he turns to specific police actions, which for the basis of the first successes for the Constabulary.

The efficiency of the the Royal Irish Constabulary was first demonstrated at the height of Daniel O'Connell's Repeal Campaign and immediately after his death the civil agitation that came in the wake of the Young Ireland Movement leading to the Rising in 1848. Both of these events, culminating in the capture of William Smith O'Brien are portrayed from the standpoint of the actions taken by the police. Curtis considers the rise of Fenianism in Ireland in the person of James Stephens before recounting the events 5th March 1867 the day of the Fenian Rising. In reality the RIC put down the Rising with ruthless efficiency after earlier infiltrating the Fenian Brotherhood with informers. For their loyalty Queen Victoria granted the force the right to use the Royal prefix and use of the insignia of the Most Illustrious Order of St. Patrick.

The History of the Royal Irish Constabulary is concluded with the recognition of Individual officers bravery during the 1867 Rising and the award of medals at the Phoenix Park Depot. Although this history of the Royal Irish Constabulary stops far short of a full history of the service, and by the vary nature of the date of its publication does not include the hardest travails that the service would have to face, it is nonetheless a fascinating account of the earliest years of an organised police force in Ireland written, albeit in a rather partisan fashion, by a member of the Constabulary. 


Price:   €12.26 (€15.08 Including VAT at 23%) VAT is only charged on customers in the European Union



The Agricultural Labourer: Ireland: Compendium (1893) The Agricultural Labourer: Ireland: Compendium (1893)(Reference #IE0037)
ISBN: 1-84630-134-3

The Royal Commission on Labour: The Agricultural Labourer, was published in 1893 after evidence from the Report was presented to both Houses of Parliament. The range, depth and scope of the inquiry, meant that the report's findings and conclusions were the most comprehensive ever conducted into the conditions of the agricultural labourer in Ireland.

The information presented in the 496 page Reports was taken from the Commission's Surveys of 30 Poor Law Unions, namely:

Vol. 1: Cookstown, Ballyshannon, Ardee, Downpatrick, Clones, Letterkenny, Limavady, Ballymena, Castleblayney, Dromore West and Ballymahon

Vol. 2: Kenmare, Kanturk, Nass, Ennistymon, Cashel, Wexford, Lismore, Thomastown, Kilmallock, Mountmellick and Carlow

Vol. 3: Loughrea, Roscrea, Balrothery and Bailieborough

Vol. 4: Wesport, Castlereagh, Skibbereen and Delvin

As a conseqeunce it covers almost every county and region in Ireland, and constitutes one of the most detailed investigations into the conditions of agricultural labourer in Ireland ever undertaken. The evidence presented in the Reports derived from a plethora of sources, which give both this and the Commission's conclusions great validity. Amongst the sources from which evidence was garnered were secretaries of local labour leagues, land agents and landlords, independent witnesses, Poor Law Union Guardians, parish priests as well as personal interviews by the Commissioner and his agents. These interviews included visiting labourers' cottages in each of the subdistricts of the unions surveyed and much of the firsthand evidence gathered revealed the depressing conditions experienced by the rural and urban labourer alike.

In short, the Commission probed into every conceivable aspect of labourer's lives and probably extended its scope beyond its original remit by inquiring into the conditions and circumstances of town labourers, miners and women labourers both town and country. Taken as a whole the 1893 Royal Commission on Labour provides provides some of the best social, economic and historical data available for the labouring classes of Ireland towards the end of the 19th century and will be a useful for academics and those simply interested in the socio-economic conditions experienced by much of the population of Ireland in the 1890s.

The 496-pages is republished here in fully-searchable CD-Rom format is a must for anyone interested in the conditions of Irish agricultural and town labourers at the turn of the 19th century. Each individual volume is also published seperately (thereby reducing the cost) and can be found on the appropriate county page. 


Price:   €20.49 (€25.20 Including VAT at 23%) VAT is only charged on customers in the European Union



Medical Directory for Ireland, 1852 Medical Directory for Ireland, 1852(Reference #IET0040)
ISBN: 1-84630-040-1

This publication was the first full medical directory of Ireland, published in 1852. It includes all medical practitioners who held a qualification, either as an apothecary (pharmacist) or a medical doctor throughout Ireland. There are several thousand names recorded, reflecting the huge growth in the Irish medical profession following the establishment of the dispensaries across the country with the Poor Law Unions. With this development, the discipline changed fundamentally from a small middle-class profession, to allow a much wider section of the population to provide these services. As a consequence the book records an extensive list of people from every walk of life.

The Directory also records the location, as well as many details, about every hospital, dispensary, medical school, public health service, society, asylum, and medical institutions in Ireland. There is a list of obituaries at the end, and a list of Spa physicians in Germany that had become popular with the well to do! 


Price:   €20.49 (€25.20 Including VAT at 23%) VAT is only charged on customers in the European Union



The Medical Directory 1898 The Medical Directory 1898 (Reference #1087ire)
ISBN:

This excellent book of over 2,000 pages lists all of the doctors, surgeons, dentists, etc, together with short biographical details of each.

Includes:

The London Medical Directory

The Provincial Medical Directory

The Medical Directory for Wales

The Medical Directory for Ireland

Together with: The Medical Directory of Registered Practitioners resident abroad; The Medical Directory of the Naval, Military and Indian Services; Licentiates in Dental Surgery; also statistical and general information of the universities, colleges, schools, hospitals, dispensaries, lunatic asylums, societies, sanitary medical service, public services, etc. in the United Kingdom.

This book was kindly loaned to the Archive CD Books Project by the Cumbria Archives, Barrow in Furness.

 


Price:   €24.61 (€30.27 Including VAT at 23%) VAT is only charged on customers in the European Union




English Goldsmiths and their Marks, 2nd ed., 1921 English Goldsmiths and their Marks, 2nd ed., 1921(Reference #IET0072)
ISBN: 1-84630-096-7

The short title of Sir Charles James Jackson's incredible publication, English Goldsmiths and their Marks, belies the true extent of this monumental book. Published in London in 1921, this incredibly learned tomb extends to more than 750 pages and its full title provides a much better idea of its scope: English Goldsmiths & their Marks: A History of the Goldsmiths and Plate Workers of England, Scotland and Ireland with over 13,000 Produced in Facsimile from Authentic Examples of Plate and Tables of Date-Letter and other Hall-Marks used in the Assay Offices of the United Kingdom.

More than a quarter or 200 pages of Jackson's work is given over to Ireland and provides a fascinating history of Dublin goldsmiths and Irish goldsmiths in general for the period anterior to the Norman Conquest of Ireland, but is especially informative on the development and incorporation of the Guild of Goldsmiths in Ireland from their Dublin Charter of 1557 and through the records kept by the Corporation of Dublin, including a copy of the Charter of the Goldsmiths Company of Dublin. Commentary is made on the production and amount of plate assayed in Dublin, which reached its low point during the periods 1644-9 at just 230 oz. per annum to a high of 70,000 oz. in 1810.

A history and examples of the apprenticeship undertaken by goldsmiths is given until the point at which the apprentice produced his 'master-piece' at which point he was elevated within the Guild to the rank of quarter or -foreign-brother.

A lengthy description is provided on the marks of Dublin goldsmiths, which since their charter of 1657 have consisted of the harp crowned, the goldsmith's proper mark and the date letter. Two addition marks were later added, namely the 'figure of Hibernia' and the sovereign's head. Jackson provides also provides an extensive commentary on the evolution and inclusion of these marks and the most accurate illustrative table of date-marks and marks used on Dublin plate between 1638 and 1921. These marks are accompanied by examples of the work of the master goldsmith that produced the work, a description of the article assayed as well as the identification of the person who commissioned/owned the piece in question.

English Goldsmiths & their Marks also contains a chronological list of Dublin Goldsmiths from 1200 to 1904; a list of masters and wardens of the Guild from 1637 and a list of Freemen of the Guild, which includes the date that the goldsmith was made a freeman, together with the last notice of the freeman in the Guild's records or notice of the freeman's death. Importantly, these lists also include freemen who were admitted to the Guild, but were silversmiths, watchmakers, clockmakers and jewellery makers by calling.

Also included in English Goldsmiths & their Marks are table of enrolments of Dublin apprentices from 1634 to 1813, which includes the name of the apprentice, his parents and the master to whom he was bound and a list of quarter brothers and journeymen. Jackson also provides details on Irish provincial goldsmiths, silversmiths, jewellers and watchmakers from 1784 to 1827, which are arranged by county and year admitted to the Guild, together with lists of Irish provincial marks and examples of provincial gold and silver plate.

Jackson's English Goldsmiths & their Marks has no peer in the breadth and depth of material and has fully utilised the available unpublished manuscript sources on the freemen and apprentices of the Irish Guild of Goldsmiths. 


Price:   €24.61 (€30.27 Including VAT at 23%) VAT is only charged on customers in the European Union



F. Elrington Ball, The Judges in Ireland 1221-1921, 1926 F. Elrington Ball, The Judges in Ireland 1221-1921, 1926(Reference #IET0058)
ISBN: 1-84630-074-6

Francis Elrington Ball's The Judges in Ireland (2 volumes) spans 700 years of Irish judicial history, from the reigns of Henry III, when he was at war with the Norman Barons in Ireland, to the reign of George V, and the inception of the Irish Free State. Running to nearly 800 pages, this publication charts the development of the Irish Judicial Bench, while also providing fascinating analysis of the political milieu for each period. Full judicial succession lists for the entire period are provided, together with extensive catalogues for many of the important personages and appointments to the Irish Judicial Bench. This edition is fully searchable allows users to quickly locate personal names, historical events and specific areas of interest. 


Price:   €24.61 (€30.27 Including VAT at 23%) VAT is only charged on customers in the European Union



Kenny's Irish manufacturers' directory, 1919 Kenny's Irish manufacturers' directory, 1919(Reference #IET0044)
ISBN: 1-84630-043-6

Kevin Kenny’s Manufacturers’ Directory is an exceptionally rare and unusual book. While he includes an exceptionally detailed directory of all businesses throughout the country from ‘Abdominal Belt’ to ‘Zinc Ware’ manufacturers, he includes much more besides. The book contains the most complete directory of local and national press at that time, which he includes to assist businesses to advertise their products and services. It also includes copious industrial statistics for the country, a complete list of Irish Trade Marks registered, and other details.

However, almost half the book is devoted to an analysis of all branches of Irish industry, manufactures and agriculture. From ‘Altar Candles’ to ‘Woollens’ Kenny gives his assessment of the opportunities for development. The book is prefaced with a clarion call for reconstruction of the Irish economy in the wake of World War One, with Kenny’s own analysis of the enormous potential for industrial growth.

This title is on a special discount, normal retail price is €12.26 ex VAT. 


Price:   €8.25 (€10.15 Including VAT at 23%) VAT is only charged on customers in the European Union



Report by the Select Committee on Pawn Brooking in Ireland, together with minutes of Evidence, an Appendix and an Index, 1838 Report by the Select Committee on Pawn Brooking in Ireland, together with minutes of Evidence, an Appendix and an Index, 1838(Reference #IE0054)
ISBN: 1-84630-176-9

Republished here is the Report by the Select Committee on Pawnbroking in Ireland; Together with the Minutes of Evidence, Appendix and Index, which was first published in Dublin by Alexander Thom in 1838. The inquiry into pawnbroking in Ireland came out of concerns being aired in the national press that pawnbrokers in general were charging extortionate and illegal rates of interest for monies lent by them on amounts of two shillings and less and this had brought the entire trade into disrepute. However, it was also acknowledged that the pawnbrokers of Ireland, especially those in Dublin, were also being extorted by the very body that was supposedly set-up to regulate and protect their interests: the Marshal of Dublin.

In light of this situation a select committee was established to examine the pawnbroking industry in Ireland as follows: The Select Committee appointed to inquire into the laws and regulations which affect the Trade of Pawnbroking in Ireland, and their practical operation; and to Report to The House whether any and what alterations may be advantageously adopted therein; and to whom several petitions were referred; and who were empowered to report the minutes of evidence taken before them to The House, have considered the matters to them referred. The Committee's Report extends to some thirty pages detailing the shortcomings and making ten recommendations to pass into law; while recognising that even if all of its recommendations were adopted there would be many in Ireland who would feel that the committee had fallen far short of resolving the issues of pawnbroking in Ireland it was hoped that at the very least all questionable transactions would in future be traceable.

In order to come to its conclusions and formulate its report the Select Committee on Pawnbroking in Ireland from took evidence over a period of two weeks from twenty-one witnesses across Ireland, many of who were pawnbrokers. The minutes of evidence, which were appear to be verbatim questions and answers, taken by the Committee from the witnesses, constitutes the majority of the Report, which is included by several appendices. The first of these is the petition of Matthew Barrington, Esq., who referred to the recently established Monts de Piété in Limerick City, which appeared to have quickly successfully regulated pawning in the city while at the same time making the system more equitable to both the pawnbroker and the client. The second is a very useful list of registered pawnbrokers in Ireland as of December 1837.

Republished here on full-searchable CD-Rom the 242 printed pages of the Report of the Select Committee of Pawnbroking in Ireland makes for a fascinating account of an industry that has often operated in the shadows. 


Price:   €8.15 (€10.02 Including VAT at 23%) VAT is only charged on customers in the European Union



Hussey De Burgh's, The Landowners of Ireland, 1878 Hussey De Burgh's, The Landowners of Ireland, 1878(Reference #IET0089)
ISBN: 1-84630-119-X

The unabridged title of this publication provides the extent and scope of the work republished here on CD-Rom: The Land Owners of Ireland: An Alphabetical List of Estates of 500 Acres of £500 Valuation and upwards, in Ireland, with the Acreage and Valuation in each County. And also Containing A Brief Notice of the Education and Official Appointments of Each Person, to which are added his Town and Country Addresses and Clubs.

Compiled by U. H. Hussey de Burgh, a land agent, and published in Dublin in 1881, de Burgh's stated aims for his publication are interesting and to some extent put his work at odds with later publications treating on the landowners of Great Britain and Ireland. These were in the main, as Hussey correctly points out, based on a number of Government Returns, one of which was published only two years prior to Hussey embarking on his compilation. Hussey's aim was in part, to correct the Government's erroneous publications on the extent and value of Ireland's larger estates and by his own confession did this with the aid of the landlords themselves. Whether or not this provided a more accurate statement of the true extent and value of Ireland's larger estates as published, for example, John Bateman's Great Landowners of 1883 is unclear. What can be said is that Hussey was only interested in Irish landowners and not the remainder of Great Britain.

Hussey uses the phrase landowner in the same manner as that used in the Government's own returns, namely an outright in fee owner or an individual holding a lease for more than 99 years or shorter leases renewable in perpetuity. This as Hussey correctly points out, masks to a degree the true extent of some of the larger estates.

In addition to the name of the landowner, the county in which land is held, the extent of land held and valuations thereon, Hussey also provides some interesting biographical information on a large proportion of the landowners noted, which must is likely to have originated with the landowners themselves. This information is predominantly biographical in nature and includes government appointments, gentlemen's clubs, marriage details, addresses, family seat and so on.

For an Irish audience Hussey's compilation is perhaps more satisfactory that John Bateman's later publication as it treats entirely on Irish landowners and whose qualification for inclusion was a mere 500 rather than the 3,000 acres set as the benchmark by Bateman.

Presented in more than 500 pages with explanations of abbreviations, locations of gentlemen's clubs, etc., this fully-searchable CD-Rom is a must for anyone interested in who owned Ireland towards the end of the 19th century. 


Price:   €16.38 (€20.15 Including VAT at 23%) VAT is only charged on customers in the European Union



Bateman's Great Landowners of Great Britain and Ireland (4th ed., 1883) Bateman's Great Landowners of Great Britain and Ireland (4th ed., 1883)(Reference #IET0078)
ISBN: 1-84630-108-4

Even an abbreviated form of this publication's full title intimates at the extent of the information contained within: A List of all the owners of 3,000 Acres and Upwards, worth £3,000 a Year; also, 1,300 Owners of 2,000 Acres and Upwards, in England, Ireland, Scotland & Wales, their Acreage & Income from Land, Culled from the Modern Domesday Book.

In this, the fourth edition, published in London in 1883, John Bateman provides details of the great landowners of Great Britain and Ireland extracted from two returns made by Government rate collectors.

Bateman's lengthy introduction highlights the usefulness as well as the pitfalls of his publication not least with the information drawn from the returns for Ireland. Based on information garnered by two Government Surveys for the Poor Law - the second of which was known as the 'Amendment' and was conducted in 1876 - the compilers had been instructed to accept these valuations as the true test of value of land. However, as Bateman points out, valuations in Ireland gave the compilers some truly monumental headaches. For example, he the editor points out that true valuations of land were up to 15% lower in Ulster and a staggering 35% in Co. Kerry, that valuations placed in land for the purposes of Poor Law taxation. Even more perturbing was the nature of land tenure in Ireland. Unlike Great Britain, lessees of land for more than 99 years, commonplace in Ireland, were deemed to be 'owners' rather than tenants. This means that many immediate lessors were in fact mere 'middlemen'. As an example of this complication, Bateman points to Sir Compton Domville's estate in Ireland where in no less than eleven instances lessees were recorded as owners of portions of his estate.

Limitations of valuations aside, the 533 pages of the Landowners of Great Britain and Ireland holds a certain fascination that sometimes exceeds its usefulness, a point not lost on Bateman. Although Bateman would never have used the phrase voyeurism, he recognised the interest aroused by 'knowing another man's business', especially when those men were the great and good of Great Britain and Ireland.

The information provide on owners of land of 3,000 acres worth more that £3,000 a year is useful and in general states the extent and value of land held in each county of Great Britain and Ireland. Biographical information is also provided on the owner and often includes the year of birth, marriage and succession to the head of the family as well as the situation of the family seat. Also included are the public schools and universities attended and gentlemen's clubs enrolled at, from which the editor points out a gentleman's class, politics and religion may be inferred.  


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The Noted Breweries of Great Britain and Ireland, 1889-1891 The Noted Breweries of Great Britain and Ireland, 1889-1891 (Reference #IET0050)
ISBN: 1-84630-064-9

In 1885 Alfred Barnard undertook to visit the whiskey distilleries of Scotland, Ireland, England and Wales. His publication The Whiskey Distilleries of the United Kingdom, published in 1887, has become a world famous guide for the whiskey industry in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Following on from that success Barnard undertook a similar project with the noted breweries. Published over three years and four volumes The Noted Breweries of Great Britain and Ireland is a magnificent insight into the brewing industry at the end of the nineteenth century. The primary aims of the volumes were to make the reader aware of the scale and nature of the brewing industry as well as providing some biographical details on the more eminent brewing families, including the world famous Guinness brewery and many other breweries in Dublin and Cork.

Over 110 breweries are covered over nearly 2,200 pages. Many of the descriptions of the breweries are accompanied by detailed sketches or photographs of the premises. If you like beer or even just have an interest in the brewing tradition then you will love this publication. 


Price:   €20.49 (€25.20 Including VAT at 23%) VAT is only charged on customers in the European Union


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