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

B609/

Hardy. A letter of 6 April to John Ashlin & Co refers to an enclosed order for £6 which McCall & Co have cashed ‘for a person going to emigrate’. A letter of 13 May to AGS concerns the government’s announcement that it is to increase the duty on malt. A letter of 18 August reports a change in the weather ‘most favourable to harvest operations’. It is added that ‘the accounts of the potatoe crop are conflicting’ but farmers ‘are hoping the blight is by degrees losing its power’. A letter of 7 September to George Atkins & Son concerns insurance of a house called Woodville in Kilgarvan, Co Kerry, taken by Mr Hallaran. A letter of 18 October to AGS discusses the quality and quantity of barley in the Ballinacurra district, and the opinion is offered that AGS ‘will be obliged to look to England for supplies of malt or malting barley’, adding ‘we would of course much prefer the latter not expecting to keep our Houses at full work at home, which is of serious importance to us, our harvest charges are much the same on half as full employment’. A letter of 24 October to P Jago comments on barley samples received and instructs him on further buying of barley for the company. A letter of 4 November to AGS discusses the latter’s concern at the poor quality and quantity of returns from Ballinacurra this season (see also 22 and 27 November). In a letter of 19 March 1855 reference is made to the ‘trifling’ amount of corn being received, and it is remarked ‘our farmers must be consuming large quantities of their corn having to pay high prices for every article of food if forced to market’ (see also 12 March). In a letter of 16 July to John Ashlin & Sons it is noted ‘there are some rumours of potatoe blight, but the fields about us are still most healthy and luxuriant’ (in a letter of 1 August to AGS it is stated ‘the potatoe blight has become general and in some districts the roots are affected’). A letter of 31 August to AGS expresses surprise at, and comments on, the difference between the cost of malt made at Ballinacurra and that made for AGS in Dublin and Enniscorthy for the past season (see also 24 September regarding the state of the corn market in Cork). In a letter of 6 November it is remarked that barley on hand is not ‘as good as we would wish and we fear we shall have the same complaint to make for the season, also that, our receipts will be short of last season – we are obliged to reject so many parcels’. In a letter of 19 November, John Ashlin & Sons are given first option to purchase oats in which, it is noted, interest has been expressed by ‘a member of one of our Cork English Houses’. A letter of 14 December to AGS discusses the possible purchase of English barley from Bristol. [Gen] B609/1/B/3 General Letters Letterbook, 10 April 1861 to 1 December 1867. A damp press letterbook. Indexed. Similar to above, with many of the same correspondents addressed. Many of the impressions of letters in this volume are quite faded. A letter of 11 October 1862 expresses the growing conviction that the quality of malting barley this season ‘is far from what we could wish’. A letter of 20 December concerns floor-drying of Mountmellick barley. A letter of 28 February 1863 comments favourably on a delivery of Tralee barley. A letter of 13 April to AGS refers to attempts to sell barley screenings on the London and home markets. A letter of 28 August expresses hopes for ‘the most abundant yield we have had for many years’. Dated 15 October is a declaration by William H Bennett making entry of one Malt House at Charleston, and of its rooms and utensils as specified, with reference to a drawing [not present]. A letter of 15 February 1865 to AGS explains that the company will be able to store 11000 barrels of malt in its