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

B609/

B609/9/D/1 Letters to Esther F Bennett, 1948-53; (1939; 1957). Esther Bennett sat on the Board of Directors and the Management Committee of the firm, and many of the letters are from fellow members, especially Sir Richard Levinge of AGS. The letters are, however, generally directed to her in her personal capacity, for instance thanking her for hospitality received, or enquiring after her health. Also, a number of purely personal letters from non-business correspondents are present. One outgoing letter (1 September 1953, to Arthur Hughes, AGS, on his resignation as Chairman and Director of JHB) is present. The letters are arranged in chronological order. The names of her correspondents, arranged from their earliest occurrence, are as follows: Sir Richard Levinge, AGS (Johnstown House, Chapelizod, Co Dublin); Hugh Beaver, AGS, London; Arthur Hughes, AGS (Glendruid, Shankill, Co Dublin); George Mahon, Mountain View, Killester, Dublin; Andrew Onslow, AGS (Ballantrae, Castleknock, Co Dublin); Irene Buseton, Clohamon, Ferns, Co Wexford; Bryan Guinness-Moyne, AGS (Knockmaroon, Castleknock, Co Dublin).

B609/9/D/2 Photograph of Esther Bennett, 9 October 1947.

B609/9/D/3 Photograph of Sir George Duffey, President of the Royal College of Physicians in Ireland. Father of Esther Duffey. [Undated]

B609/9/D/4 Three photographs of Sir George Duffey, one of him in his robes of office, the other two in private dress [the same photograph, one copy mounted].

B609/9/E

Dorothy West (nee McNeill), Diaries, 1936-51

Dorothy West (nee McNeill), Diaries, 1936-51. Dorothy McNeill, daughter of John H Bennett’s second wife, Esther McNeill, took over management of JHB and of Bennett’s estates, initially in conjunction with her mother, following Bennett’s death in 1935. She also commenced keeping a diary, apparently as a continuation of those kept by John H Bennett. Hers record similar information, but are rather different in tone, and in the case of the first diary at least, more personal and detailed. Following her marriage on 29 July 1937 to Timothy West, Principal of Midleton College, however, she includes hardly any personal information, confining herself mainly to business, farm, estate, and Cereal Station matters. Some entries appear to be in hands other than Mrs West’s, suggesting the diary was kept up to date in the office in her absence, at least some of the time. Lists of maltsters at work in

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