Identity Statement
| Title | John Brown |
| Archive Reference | IE CCCA/U097 |
| Web Link to this Entry | https://iar.ie/archive/john-brown |
| Creation Dates | 1917-1921 (1950) |
| Extent Medium | 17 items |
Context
Creator(s): Brown, John (Head Constable, Royal Irish Constabulary)
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Administrative History ↴
Born 1866, County Armagh. Farming background. Presbyterian denomination. Joined the RIC (Royal Irish Constabulary) in December 1885, service number no. 51646. Rose to status of non commissioned officer at rank of sergeant and later head constable. Stationed in Belfast 1885 – 1886, Cork July 1886 - April 1918 including time as head constable at Tuckey Street barracks. Lived at St.Patricks Terrace. Shot in leg during riot in Cork in 1917, but recovered. Also based at Kilrush County Clare in May 1918 – July 1919, and Cork again in August 1918 until disbandment of RIC in April 1922. Received a number of citations for distinguished service. His wife Bessie, who was from County Cork, died between 1901 and 1911. -
Archival History ↴
Donated via Cork County Library from Mr. Alec Day, 1973. -
Immediate Source Acquisition ↴
Donation
Content & Structure
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Scope & Content: Brown, John (Head Constable, Royal Irish Constabulary) ↴
Manuscript material kept or gathered by John Brown, RIC Head Constable.
MSS. relating to anti-conscription riots in Cork, 1917, details of injuries sustained by Brown, and his claim for award or compensation.
RIC documents relating to War of Independence period including orders for joint military/RIC piquets in Cork City, a report possibly by Brown about police movements on the night of the Burning of Cork. Also, 2 captured Sinn Féin items including proclamation by O/C Cork No.1 Brigade IRA re. household occupants decree and
warning declaration from L.T. Mac Cosgair, Dáil Éireann.Material generally related to Brown’s service in the RIC, including a humourous poem about various RIC staff in Cork, physical drill instructions, a notice about RIC grave plots in Dublin, and an item relating to income tax.
File of material concerning a bigamy case in 1920.
The collection is of interest to the history of the RIC and its role during the 1917 – 1921 period in Ireland, particularly in Cork City, as documented through the experiences of a senior non-commissioned officer.
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Appraisal Destruction ↴
Permanent Retention -
Arrangement ↴
A: 1917 Riots in Cork and Injury Sustained (1917-1919) (6 items)
B: War of Independence 1919-1921 (5 items)
B.i R.I.C., Orders for Piquets in Cork City
B.ii R.I.C. Report by Brown on night of ‘Burning of Cork’, 1920 (1 item)
B.iii Newsclipping re. ‘Irish Shame’, 1921 (1 item)
B.iv Sinn Féin Material Captured by R.I.C. 1919-1921 (2 items)
C: R.I.C Service c.1900-1921 (5 items)
D: Bigamy Case, 1920 (8 items)
Conditions of Access & Use
| Access Conditions | Open by appointment to those holding a current readers ticket |
| Conditions Governing Reproduction | Subject to rules governing reproduction of records of CCCA |
| Creation Dates | 1917-1921 (1950) |
| Extent Medium | 17 items |
| Material Language Script | English |
| Finding Aids | Descriptive list Archive Web Link → |
Allied Materials
| Related Material | CCCA: U104 Sinn Féin Meeting Macroom, Royal Irish Constabulary File PR4 Terence MacSwiney Lord Mayor Files Elsewhere: The National Archives, London- Records of the RIC |
| Publication Note | Royal Irish Constabulary records, general registers of service (Microfilm copy, Dublin City Library and Archive) Census of Ireland, 1901 and 1911 www.census.nationalarchives.ie |
Descriptive Control Area
| Archivist Note | Brian McGee |
| Rules/Conventions | ISAD(G): General International Standard Archival Description. 2nd ed. Ottawa: International Council on Archives, 2000. |
| Date of Descriptions | 40909 |