Interesting finds
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Marriage settlement of William Stevenson & Elizabeth Fleming (1716)
Just over three hundred years ago, Capt. James Stevenson of Stewartstown and William Fleming of Portadown executed a marriage settlement on behalf of their respective children, William and Elizabeth. The resulting deeds of lease and release, dated 19th October 1716, are lengthy and verge on the turgid. Nevertheless, a careful parsing of the document reveals… Continue reading
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Christmas Day at the Poor-house in Armagh, 25th December 1844
Published in the 31st December 1844 edition of The Armagh Guardian: Christmas Day in Armagh. On Wednesday last the annual dinner was given to the inmates of the Armagh Poor-house, by his grace the Lord Primate; the dinner consisted of roast beef and plum pudding, with ale. Same day 100 of the aged and infirm poor… Continue reading
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Inaugural edition of The Armagh Guardian, published 3rd September 1844
On 3rd December 1844, John Thompson published the inaugural edition of his new weekly journal, The Armagh Guardian. At this juncture in his publishing career, he kept a general print shop at 63, English-street in Armagh. No matter how much and how loudly they doth protest, then as now the news issues forth from bias.… Continue reading
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“for the considerations therein mentioned”
or, What a Memorial of an Indented Deed is, and what it isn’t. During the past few months, while transcribing and indexing memorials of Irish deeds, I’ve noticed certain legal terms and turns of phrase. Historic newspapers are the same way: after a time, you begin to recognize patterns in language and style, and to… Continue reading
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Duties of the Irish tenant farmer :: one fatt Unshorne Mutton, one Bole of Barley, &c.
one fatt Unshorne Mutton One Bole of Barley Twelve Fatt Henns Six days work of Man & horse The 21st century reader would be forgiven for thinking that these might have been lines from an ancient verse or folk song. As it happens, these words defined the duties of the Irish tenant farmer to his… Continue reading