Council Books of the Corporation of Youghal

Repository: Cork City and County Archives

Identity Statement

TitleCouncil Books of the Corporation of Youghal
Archive ReferenceIE CCCA/YTR/B
Web Link to this Entryhttps://iar.ie/archive/council-books-corporion-youghal
Creation Dates1610-1659; 1666-87; 1690-1705; 1711-1718; 1719 -1840
Extent Medium4 items

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

Content & Structure

  • Scope & Content: Youghal Corporation ↴

    Minute books recording the proceedings and decisions of the Council of the Corporation meeting in General Assembly, Court of D’Oyer Hundred, Court of Common Council, Court of Election, and General Quarter Sessions of the Peace.

    In the first volume, ‘Folio A’, the 2nd section in particular does not seem to have been extensively transcribed by Richard Caulfield. The 1st section is largely, but not always, transcribed verbatim by Richard Caulfield.

  • Appraisal Destruction ↴

    Permanent Retention
  • Arrangement ↴

    Items are arranged in chronological order.

    1. 14 Sep 1610 – 11 Jan 1659
    2. 20 Oct 1666 – 1687; 1690-1 Jun 1705; 6 Jul 1711 – 14 Jan 1718
    3. 29 June 1719 – 21 Sep 1816.
    4. 24 Sep 1816 – 25 Oct 1840 (1860)

Conditions of Access & Use

Access Conditions Open by appointment to those holding a current readers ticket
Conditions Governing ReproductionSubject to rules governing reproduction of records of CCCA
Creation Dates1610-1659; 1666-87; 1690-1705; 1711-1718; 1719 -1840
Extent Medium4 items
Material Language ScriptEnglish, some Latin in the title paragraphs in items 1 and 2
Characteristics Tech ReqSecretary hand in earlier volumes
Finding Aids Descriptive List Archive Web Link →

Allied Materials

Related MaterialCCCA: Other series in Youghal Corporation records including charters, poll books, mayoralty correspondence, leases and deeds, legal records. Youghal Town Commissioners / Youghal Urban District Council (including material inherited from Youghal Corporation) Elsewhere: National Library of Ireland: MS.9579, and Lismore Papers, MS.7162
Publication NoteRichard Caulfield LLD FSA ‘The Council Book of the Corpoaration of Youghal 1600-1659, 1666-1687, 1690-1800’ (1878)

Descriptive Control Area

Archivist NoteBrian McGee
Rules/ConventionsISAD(G): General International Standard Archival Description. 2nd ed. Ottowa: International Council on Archives, 2000.
Date of Descriptions40422