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

B609/

Context

Creator

John H. Bennett and Co. Archival History/Source of Acquisition

The transfer of records of John H Bennett & Co, and of Bennett and West family records, to Cork City and County Archives occurred through the good offices of Mr Trevor West of Ballinacurra, Mr Eamonn McSweeney, General Manager, John H Bennett & Co Ltd, and Ms Ursula O’Mahony, Secretary, John H Bennett & Co Ltd. The bulk of the business records were transferred in 2004. A further transfer of business records occurred in 2007, while the final transfer, containing personal and family records as well as further business matter, took place in 2008. All three transfers included records of the Department of Agriculture Cereal Station held by the firm, and the initial transfer also contained a small amount of personal matter. The records of the business, including Cereal Station records, were formerly kept on the company’s premises in Ballinacurra. Personal records and a small quantity of business records were maintained by Mr Trevor West, including records consulted in preparation for Mr West’s biography/history of John H Bennett and the firm, Malting the Barley: John H Bennett, the man and his firm, 200 years of malting barley in Ballinacurra (Charleston, 2006). Administrative / Biographical History The malting firm which was to become John H Bennett & Co began business about 1792, when the Charleston Maltings was built by John Anderson and John Lapp. By the turn of the century the firm was in the control of a group of Cork merchants including Samuel McCall, and came to be known as McCall & Co, which is the name that appears on the earliest record in the present collection, a financial ledger opened in September 1824 (B609/3/C/1). In the 1840s, the company came to be owned entirely by John Hallaran, upon whose death ownership was transferred to his nephew, William Hallaran Bennett. His son, John Hallaran Bennett, came into control of the company in 1885, changing its name to John H Bennett & Co, and greatly expanding and improving the business throughout his time at the helm, up to his death in 1935. The early period of the company’s history, prior to 1885, is documented mainly by letterbooks (B609/1/B/1-4) and some financial records (B609/3/B/1, B609/3/C/1-2). These illustrate the early and important connection between the firm and the Guinness Brewery in Dublin. McCall & Co became a commission house for Guinness about 1836, a contractual arrangement under which the firm made a specified quantity of malt for the Brewery each year, for a fixed commission 1 . The firm was not permitted to produce malt for other customers without Guinness’ authorisation. The contract also gave Guinness control over what type of seed barley was supplied to farmers. This arrangement was to

1 Trevor West, Malting the Barley: John H Bennett, the man and his firm , (Charleston 2006), p37