Templemore - Book of County Tipperary, 1889

About “The Book of County Tipperary,” 1889

George Henry Bassett produced 7 Irish county directories in the 1880s: Antrim, Armagh, Down, Kilkenny, Louth, Tipperary and Wexford. Each provides useful history of the respective counties as well as lists of office holders, farmers, traders, and other residents of the individual cities, towns and villages.

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The directories are naturally an invaluable resource for those tracing family history. The Book of County Tipperary is the first of these to be made available on libraryireland.com, with its own search page. However, there are a few points to bear in mind.

  1. This online version is designed primarily as a genealogical research tool and therefore the numerous advertisements in the original book, many full page, and quite a few illustrated, have been excluded.
  2. The text has been proofed with due care, but with large bodies of text typographical errors are inevitably bound to occur.
  3. Be aware that there were often inconsistencies in spelling surnames in the 19th century and also that many forenames are abbreviated in Bassett’s directories.

With respect to the last point, surnames which today begin with the “Mc” prefix, for example, were often formerly spelt as “M‘,”. For a list of some of the more common forename abbreviations used in the directory, see Forename Abbreviations.

To enjoy the rich variety of advertisements, confirm accuracy of the entries, or have a printed record of a family member, obtain an original or facsimile copy of The Book of County Tipperary.

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Population 2,800 in 1881.

Templemore, in the parish of same name, barony of Eliogarty, is on the Great Southern and Western Railway, 78¾ miles, English, south-west from Dublin, and 33¼ miles, north by west from Clonmel. It is a garrison town with extensive barracks for infantry, and is situated in the centre of a fertile country, richly planted and most picturesquely diversified. The streets are broad, and for the greater part, the houses are well built and in good repair. No town in the county can compare with it in the beauty of the approaches.

The Carden family, of whom the present owner, Sir John, is the head, endeavored to have rows of shade trees maintained along the sides of streets as well as along the roads leading to them. The principal thoroughfare, Main-street and George-street, were so planted. One fine elm, with great spreading branches, only remains to corroborate this. It stands near the junction of Bank and Main-streets.

Templemore depends for prosperity almost entirely upon its trade as the supply-point for the farmers of the district. A weekly market for general produce is held, toll free, every Wednesday. Butter in cask, and poultry, are sold on the same day. Corn finds a market every day in the season. The Market House is in the middle of the Main-street. It was built in 1816 at the expense of the residents of the town. The upper storey is used for a Town Hall. Of the fairs, a list of which will be found at the back of the book, there are four which are reckoned among the best in Ireland: January 30, March 30, May 17, October 21. Tolls are collected on eight fairs, the old ones. The new fairs, established over ten years ago, are free.

The Towns Improvement Act, 1854, was taken advantage of in 1860. Fifteen Commissioners, holding office for three years each, are elected under it. In 1860 the valuation of property within the boundary was £1,481 on land, £2,423 11s. on buildings, etc. The rate then was 1s. in the £ on houses, and 3d. on land. The valuation continues the same. For 1888–9 the rate was 10d. in £ on buildings and 2½d. on land. There are 48 public lamps lighted with oil (no gas in town) at a cost of £24 13s. 11d. for six months ending in April, 1888. Street repairs are done by the Grand Jury of the North Riding. Flagging of sideways by the Commissioners, who also constitute the local sanitary authority. Down to 1889 water was procured from pumps. A movement was then set on foot, aided by the Rev. P. O’Keeffe, C.C., to have a regular service by pipe from a pure source less than two miles from town.