The Diary of Elizabeth Meade of Ballymartle 1884.
Background
Elizabeth Meade was born in West Cork in 1860. She was the eldest daughter of Adam Newman Meade who had been born at Ballymartle House, near Riverstick, in 1812. Adam was a younger son of Rev. Richard Meade, and so had been obliged to make his own way in the world – as his elder brother inherited the Ballymartle Estate. Adam became a Land Steward to the Earl of Bandon, and while based near Bandon had met and married Louisa Conner, of Manch House in Ballineen. Adam died young in 1878, leaving his wife and six children with little means of support. His eldest brother, William Richard Meade, who had inherited the Ballymartle Estate and who was a bachelor, then invited his newly widowed sister-in-law and her family to come and live with him in Ballymartle. Elizabeth Meade was eighteen years old at the time. In 1884, Elizabeth began keeping a Diary. It was a small volume, with entries for two days on each page. In it Elizabeth recorded the family’s day to day activities, together with any major outside events. Given that Ballymartle House is now a roofless ruin, Elizabeth’s Diary leaves a fascinating glimpse of what life was like in a ‘Big House’ in South East Cork at the time.
Characters in the Diary
Understandably, the permanent residents in the house feature the most frequently in the Diary. Elizabeth’s uncle – William Richard Meade – was very prominent in Cork County, serving as a magistrate, a member of the Cork Grand Jury – which managed the county prior to the introduction of elected County Councils in 1899 – and a member of Kinsale Board of Guardians, which predated the Urban District Council. He spent most of his days in Cork or Kinsale. He was also a dedicated agriculturalist and stock breeder and Elizabeth records him going to Cork Agricultural Show, Dublin RDS Show and the Royal Agricultural Show in Kilkenny. He also travelled to cattle sales as far away as Ardfert Abbey in Kerry – no mean achievement given the modes of transport available to him at the time. Apart from ‘Uncle William’, the household consisted of Elizabeth’s mother – Louisa, her brothers Adam (referred to as ‘Tom’ in the Diary), Richard (‘Dick’) and Robert (‘Bob’). Elizabeth also had two sisters, both of whom feature prominently – Dorothea (‘Dora’) and Louisa (‘Lillie’).
Dorothea’s Wedding
When the Diary began in January 1884, Dora Meade, Elizabeth’s younger sister, was about to marry Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Fowle, an officer in the Royal Artillery. A few days before the wedding, Elizabeth wrote about last minute shopping trips to Cork. The couple were married on 8th January 1884 in the church at Ballymartle, across the road from the house by Dorothea’s uncle – Rev. Robert Meade. Dora had been feeling unwell for a few days before the wedding and on the day itself, Elizabeth stated that Dora looked ‘very badly’. It later transpired that she had measles, and so the first few days of the newly married couple’s honeymoon was spent confined to their room in the Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin while the bride recovered. Elizabeth herself was very upset at the thought of her sister getting married and leaving Ballymartle as the two had been very close. Following Dora’s recovery the couple visited London before returning to Ballymartle in February. On 20th Feb they left Ballymartle and sailed to India on board H.M. Troopship ‘Crocodile’. On board Dora shared a cabin with two ladies which Trenchard occupied a separate cabin. – which was normal practice at the time. Trenchard Fowle was stationed in Secunderabad in Andhra Pradesh, Western India.
Day to day life at Ballymartle House.
When the excitement of the wedding had settled down, Elizabeth and her family settled back into their normal routine. Elizabeth’s main role in the household was to serve as governess to her youngest sister Lillie. She would give her lessons in one of the upstairs bedrooms for most of the morning. Afternoons were usually spent in leisure, taking walks in the grounds of Ballymartle House with her mother or playing tennis with one of her brothers. Her brother Adam was in his final year at school in Tipperary at the time, while the elder brother Richard was attending university in Dublin. Both visited Ballymartle during their holidays – and spent time fishing, shooting and playing tennis. Elizabeth also described them going to and playing in football matches in Kinsale – presumably rugby is what she meant. The third brother Robert was a permanent resident at Ballymartle, but is only mentioned in the diary on Sunday’s. Elizabeth herself was very devout and attended the morning church service in Ballymartle on Sunday before teaching a Sunday School class. The rector in Ballymartle was a Mr. Nash, and Elizabeth and her siblings were friendly with his children. Nash and his family lived in the rectory at Cullen, on the other side of Riverstick. On Sunday afternoons Elizabeth and her brother Robert would attend an evening service in the now demolished church at Cullen. On one occasion a funeral from Cork City was taking place in the graveyard beside Cullen Church while the service was taking place and after the funeral some of the mourners broke into the church and disrupted the service. Nash, the rector, followed them as far as Riverstick and sent Robert Meade to get the police.
Later in the year William Richard Meade engaged a new steward – a Mr Taylor – to run the Ballymartle Estate. There was much consternation when Mrs Taylor and their four children arrived earlier than expected – and their cottage was not yet ready for them.
Illness
Illness is a topic which features regularly in Elizabeth’s diary. She herself suffered from Neuralgia – a pain which occurs in one or more nerves. However, her sister, Lillie was regularly sick throughout 1884. When her eldest sister Dora contracted measles before her wedding, Lillie picked them up from her a few days later. Matters were not helped in April, when she let a sash window slam down on her hand – hurting it badly. The family GP – Dr. Vickery, was a regular visitor the house – to both Lillie and to Elizabeth’s mother – who frequently took to her bed with headaches and who also suffered from Rheumatism. On one Sunday Elizabeth wryly recorded in the Diary that she could not attend church that afternoon because she had to care for the ‘invalides’ – both Lillie and her mother were confined to bed. In October Lillie was taken to a Dr Townsend in Cork who diagnosed ‘General Debility’. Examining the Diary, it does come across that, although it was a Big House, Ballymartle House may not have been the most comfortable place to live in. Elizabeth recorded that the 23rd May was the first day that the family lit no fire in the Drawing Room all day. On 19th October Elizabeth wrote that they were hoping for rain as water in the house was becoming scarce. Also, when her Uncle Robert came to stay at Ballymartle at Christmas – he complained regularly of how cold the house was – and he would have been well used to it, having been born there.
Social Life
One of the most interesting entries in the Diary is for June 23rd – Bonfire Night, when Elizabeth describes travelling around the area in the evening to see the bonfires which had been lit by the local people. She describes them as ‘very good – especially those on the Black Mountain’. It is interesting that more than 100 years later the practice of lighting bonfires on June 23rd still exists in this area. Most other social occasions centred around the other ‘Landed Gentry’ families in the area. Visits were paid to many of the other Big Houses – particularly Pallastown, near Belgooly, were the Heard family were close friends. These being the days before mobile phones, it was not unusual for a group from Ballymartle to set out on the journey to Pallastown by pony and trap, only to discover that there was nobody at home when they got there. On one occasion Elizabeth and her mother travelled from Ballymartle to Newborough, near Oysterhaven – where a Ms Daunt lived, only to find the house empty. They then proceeded to Oatlands – a further mile away, only to be shouted at by one of the domestic servants that none of the Knolles family were in. On other occasions formal invitations were issued to tea parties at Walton Court and Knockrobin House. As previously mentioned, tennis was one of the principle recreations of Elizabeth and her family. Tennis parties were regular affairs at Ballymartle and other houses and the Meades were also members of the tennis club in Kinsale. Elizabeth’s brothers once played at a three-day tournament in Innishannon. The family also took part in local sports. Elizabeth’s brothers Richard and Bob went to Belgooly on Corpus Christ to watch the races that were held there. Two of her brothers also walked to Kinsale in September to see Kinsale Regatta – which was held on a Wednesday that year. Elizabeth was invited to two formal dances in 1884 – one at Kinsale Barracks given by the Officers of the 12th Regiment and one Aghmarta Castle near Carrigaline. Family also played an important part in the social life at Ballymartle. Elizabeth’s uncle – Rev. Robert Meade, who was Rector at Ringcurran near Kinsale, was a regular visitor and occasionally some of her mother’s cousin’s – the Conners – would pay a visit from Manch.
Transport and travel
While the Cork to Kinsale Railway is a distant memory nowadays, the diary shows what a crucial role it played in the lives of the people in the area in the 19th Century. Ballymartle Station was situated roughly 2 miles from Ballymartle House – close to what is now the ‘Rising Sun’ pub. Any trip the Meades made to Cork for a day’s shopping or to West Cork to visit relations was made using the railway. Elizabeth’s Uncle William was almost a daily commuter when travelling to Cork for meetings or on business. Other journeys were made by horse and trap – on one occasion Elizabeth describes being unable to attend a social event because the ‘brown horse was lame’. When attending the dance at Kinsale Barracks in November she describes being freezing cold in an open trap and having plenty of wraps to keep warm. If train times didn’t suit or a horse wasn’t available the only option was to go on foot. Richard Meade once walked to Cork from Ballymartle to see a play called ‘The Colonel’. On another occasion he walked to Kinsale in the morning and was ‘back in time for lunch’.
Outside Events
While much of the diary is taken up with the doings of the internal household at Ballymartle House, Elizabeth also recorded a number of outside events, both in the local area and in the wider world outside. Elizabeth mentions a National League meeting being held at Belgooly on 12th October 1884. The Irish National League had been founded in October 1882 by Charles Stewart Parnell as the successor to the Land League after this was suppressed. Whereas the Land League had agitated for land reform, the National League also campaigned for Home Rule and economic reforms The League was the main base of support for the Irish Parliamentary Party. Other meetings mentioned include a Temperance Meeting held in Belgooly on 21st May and another at Pallastown in July. She also recorded two tragedies over the course of the year. On 15th April one Margaret Jeffers was found drowned in a pond at Glendoneen while in August she mentions the funeral of a Mr. Steeles, who drowned near Pallastown. Another funeral which gets prominent mention is that of Mary Daunt of Tracton Abbey. Elizabeth wrote that her Uncle William attended this funeral – meeting it at Belgooly as it was coming from Kinsale (the Daunts of Tracton Abbey resided at Compass Hill House) and following it as far as Ballyfeard. In April, ‘the youngest Stanley’, a neighbour, fell from his horse and was badly injured – Elizabeth wrote that there was little chance of his recovery. However by mid May he was much improved, and seems to have survived.
In September, her uncle went to an auction at Heathburn Hall, where none of the furniture sold, ‘only outdoor things’. There was great excitement in the area in August when the Royal Navy Channel Squadron arrived at Queenstown (Cobh). A number of people climbed to the top of ‘the Mountain’ to see the Squadron depart. There was turmoil in Ballymartle House itself in April, when two of the maids left to emigrate. ‘Mary and Margaret left us today amid great excitement’ Elizabeth wrote, ‘the former for the United States and the latter for Canada’. On 6th October, she records the Duke of Cambridge visiting Cork.
Elizabeth also recorded some worldwide events when she heard of them. On 1st March she writes about hearing of the Battle of El Teb – which was fought in the Sudan between British and Sudanese Forces. This battle was in fact the second battle fought there – following the defeat of a British Egyptian army at the same place on Feb 3rd – although Elizabeth does not mention the first battle. On 28th March she mentions the death of Prince Leopold – eighth child of Queen Victoria. Leopold was a hemophiliac, and was only 30 years of age when he died. On the following Sunday Rev Nash devoted his sermon in Ballymartle to Leopold’s death.
After 1884.
Elizabeth seems not to have kept a diary for any other year besides 1884. Ten years later, in 1894, her Uncle William died and her brother Richard (Dick) inherited Ballymartle. Richard Meade joined the Army, serving in the Boer War in 1900/01 where he was taken prisoner. He retired from the army a Major. Major Meade is still remembered in the area today. Apart from Dora, Elizabeth’s brother Adam was the only one of the family to marry – he married one Ella Ashe in 1909. The couple had no children. Richard, Elizabeth, Lillie and Robert lived at Ballymartle House for the remainder of their lives. Elizabeth Meade died in 1945 and was buried in Ballymartle Cemetery, across the road from her home.
Sincere thanks to William Hall, for copying Elizabeth Meade’s diary and for the photos which accompany this article.