STEP BACK IN TIME
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STEP BACK IN TIME
Click Here to Contact me Jennifer Walsh
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Feel free to view or sign my guest book or guest map
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BOROUGH OF ASKEATON 1612-1800 by M. Wallace taken from the local ABC news 2004
In 1612 as part of a government strategy to secure a majority in parliament , James 1st created forty new Boroughs. each Borough had the right to send two members to the old Irish parliament which sat at Dublin castle, now the headquarters of the bank of Ireland. Askeaton was one of these new boroughs. in all there were one hundred and seven such close Boroughs, returning 214 members out of a total parliament of 300. the close Boroughs were under the control of a single patron. for Askeaton the two seat were controlled by Elizabethan planter Francis Berkeley and subsequently, through marriage, by the Taylor, massy and butler families. in the carve-up of the earl of desmond 's estates following his killing in 1583, Berkeley was granted over 7000 acres in the Askeaton area. from a Somerset family he was knighted in 1599 for his staunch defense of the castle. between 1612 and the act of union in 1800 which saw the abolition of the Irish parliament, twenty nine individuals represented the Askeaton Borough. some had no connection with Askeaton and most likely never visited the place. representatives ranged from John Odell, Ballingarry, who died in a debtor's prison in 1700, to Philip Percival, director of state music to George 1st. Richard Griffith, Naas purchased the seat in 1783 and held it foe seven years. his son Richard became a renowned engineer with the board of works. the parliament which sat in those times bears very little resemblance to that of today. local issues were looked after by the grand juries, leaving members of parliament to concentrate on the bigger picture and ensure that the interests of the property- owning ascendancy were looked after. parliament sat only intermittently until 1713. it then sat every second year until 1785 and annually from then on.
members of parliament for Askeaton 1613-1800 1613 Anthony Stoughton and roger rice 1639 Maurice Williams and George 1661 Peter Pett and Richard Southwell 1689 John burke and Edward Rice 1691 Robert Taylor and John 1693 George Evans and Robert 1696 Chichester 1703 Robert Taylor jnr and Chichester 1713 Robert Taylor jnr and Philip Percival 1715 John Bury and Edward 1723 Berkeley 1727 Berkeley Taylor and Edward 1729 William 1747 John Minchin 1753 Edmond 1761 Joseph Hoare and sir Jams Cotter 1768 Joseph Hoare and John Tunnadine 1776 Joseph Hoare and hon. Hugh Massy 1783 Sir Joseph Hoare and Richard 1790 Sir Joseph Hoare and Henry 1799 Sir Vere Hunt
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