Council Books of the Corporation of Youghal

Context

Creator(s): Youghal Corporation

• Administrative History ↴

  The town and sea -port of Youghal dates back to the 13th century and consisted of almost 12,000 inhabitants in 1837. The ancient Corporation of Youghal, styling themselves "The Mayor, Bailiffs, Burgesses and Commonality of the Town of Youghal” recognised their authority to govern locally from the charter of James I of 1609-10. In c.1830 Commissioners for Lighting and Cleansing were elected, under the Lighting of Towns (Ireland) Act 1828, and were responsible for lighting streets (including the gas works), appointing watchmen, cleansing and sweeping the streets, wells, water supply, fire engines, closing of dangerous grates, cellars etc., naming of streets and numbering of houses. Commissioner costs were met by rates on property worth over £5. As a chartered Borough, Youghal Borough supplied 2 members ('Burgesses') to the Irish Parliament up to the Act of Union and thereafter 1 member to the Westminster parliament. Electors were originally the Corporation and Freemen but this was revised to include £10 housholders and to exclude non-resident Freemen in 1832, possibly under the Representation of the People (Ireland) Act 1832. A new extended borough boundary was made in 1832, under the Parliamentary Boundaries (Ireland) Act 1832. Thereafter Youghal Borough elected mainly Liberal and later Home Rule candidates. An unreformed and unrepresentative body by the advent of the 19th Century, Youghal Corporation's authority and dominance was undermined by the Irish Reform Act of 1836 and the Corporation was finally abolished by the Municipal Corporations Act of 1840. Youghal was created an Urban Sanitary Authority in 1879 under the Public Health (Ireland) Act 1878. In 1895 Youghal adopted the Towns Improvement (Ireland) Act 1854 thus Town Commissioners were elected replacing those of the 1828 Act. Under the 1898 Local Government Act, the Youghal Town Commisioners, like all urban sanitary authorities, became an Urban District Council.

• Archival History ↴

  The Youghal town records, consisting of the records of Youghal Corporation, Town Commissioners and Urban District Council, including the present series, were transferred to the Archives by Youghal Urban District Council from 1973-1988.

• Immediate Source Acquisition ↴

  Official Transfer