Bennett's of Ballinacurra Descriptive List (Ref. B609)

B609/

B609/9/A/10 Diary, 1890. The entry for 6 January reads ‘A first born son arrived this day to self and dear wife who got through her confinement splendidly’. On 29 September a new agreement with AGS was executed for the season, the contract quantity not to exceed 23500 barrels steeped. B609/9/A/11 Diary, 1891. On 21 February Bennett attended the Board of Guardians to discuss fountains and water supply. He also notes a meeting against Ballycotton light railway at the courthouse. On 19 March he attended a Primrose League Unionist meeting. Bennett records a visit from Harry Humphreys on 1 May on which the latter asked for more of his wife’s trust fund to be released to pay his debts. Bennett refused. Brida gave birth to a daughter of 27 August, christened Gwendoline on 22 October.

B609/9/A/12 Diary, 1892. Bennett travelled to Southampton in May to buy a yacht (‘Extravagance, am smitten with the salt water fever’) and made an offer for ‘Tarbaby’ on 11 May, the yacht arriving in Ballinacurra on 9 June.

B609/9/A/13 Diary, 1893. In an entry regarding a bazaar at Midleton on 6 April, Bennett notes ‘on the whole successful though Catholics did not attend’. He attended a Unionist meeting in Cork on 12 April. The entry for 12 July notes that that day’s Ballinacurra regatta was a success. Entries for September note record numbers of barrels received at the maltings. On 15 October Brida suffered a miscarriage. B609/9/A/14 Diary, 1894. The entry for 8 January notes ‘wreck of barque at B’cotton with loss of 10 lives. 4 saved by Rocket apparatus’. On 13 March Bennett attended a deputation to present a petition to the Grand Jury regarding the state of the roads, which was well received. The entry for 30 August notes a stabbing incident involving two employees. On 16 October, Bennett’s step-brother Willie Bennett (Arthur William) died aged ten, of a brain ailment.

B609/9/ A/15 Diary, 1895. On 19 August Bennett won an ocean race at Youghal in his cutter, ‘Lucifer’, noting ‘Red Letter day in Lucifer’. Entries for September note the poorness of barley received this harvest.

B609/9/A/16 Diary, 1896. On 13 February Bennett was sworn in as a justice of the peace for county Cork. On 8 March the Local Government Board agreed to a sworn inquiry, as pressed by Bennett, into the keeping of the dispensary’s books by Dr Riordan. On 2 August he writes ‘had a good big walk over country to top of Scariff very much pleased with Barley which is quite the finest I have yet seen’. On 26 August he sacked an employee for drunkenness but notes that he

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