MUNICIPAL CORPORATIONS IN IRELAND.
433 GALWAY.
TUAM.
Patronage of the Borough at the Union, and its present state.
Privileges and Functions of the Free Burgesses.
Governing Body.
Its Powers, &c.
14.
At the period of the Legislative Union the Borough was under the Patronage of the Honourable Walter Yelverton, and John Lord Clanmorris, and the sum of £1,000 was paid to the former, and £14,000 to the trustee in the marriage settlement of the latter.,
as compen¬ sation for the loss of the privilege of sending Members to Parliament.
The corporation has since become independent, and in the year 1811 the entire body of the burgesses was voluntarily changed.
On the 30th September in that year seven burgesses having resigned, their places were filled by persons elected by the remaining five then present; and the new burgesses being sworn, those five then immediately resigned, and the number was soon after¬ wards completed by new elections.
It was resolved by the sovereign and burgesses in 1818, that no second member of the same family or connexion should be elected a burgess, but-the resolution was rescinded in 1822.
Ofthe present burgesses, it was stated to us, that there are two families, of each of which there are two burgesses; that four of the burgesses, are nearly related; ancl that there is a family connexion through them all.
The office is sometimes canvassed for.
The sovereign and burgesses of Tuam are all, with one exception, of the Roman Catholic religion, which is that of the majority of the inhabitants and persons in trade.
It was stated to us that there are not now any religious or political prejudices in the election of burgesses, but that within the last few years great efforts have been made by indi¬ vidual burgesses to have their own friends elected, in order to have a majority.
15.
The Free Burgesses have not any emoluments; they are exempt from the tolls and customs claimed by the corporation; some take advantage ofthe Privilege, others do not.
They have not individually any functions or duties to perform, but, with the sovereign, they constitute the select, or Governing Body of the corporation.
16.
In this body, by the charter, is vested the sole Power of election of the sovereign and burgesses, as already detailed.
They also, before the Union, were alone entitled to vote in the election of Members for the borough in the Irish Parliament.
The power of admitting freemen is also given to them by the charter.
They meet regularly on the 24th June and 29th September, the charter days, for the election ancl swearing in of the sovereign, and occasionally at other times for electing burgesses and other officers, letting the tolls and customs, and transacting other corporate business.
Their assembly is called, in the corporation books, " A Court of Burgesses," and a bye-law was enacted in 1817, " that no such court should be held unless each burgess should be duly served, at his house, with notice of such court to be holden, except in the event of the decease or removal of burgesses, in which case a notice of six clear days, according to charter, would suffice, and it be required of the serjeant at mace to make affidavit of the service of such notice on each individual burgess, and that any court held contrary to the tenour and intentions of that law should be considered nugatory, and its proceedings null and void."
The rules, at times, made as to the numbers who should be in attendance to elect a burgess, have been already mentioned.
A similar rule was made in 1744, as to the election of freemen, " that no freeman should be made but at a court of burgesses, where eight should be present, besides the sovereign;" this was altered in 1745, by reducing the required number to six.
Although the charter vests in the sovereign, burgesses, and commonalty the power of electing twro serjeants at mace and other inferior officers, and that of making bye-laws, we find that in practice these powers, especially the former, have been generally exercised by the Court of Burgesses alone, without any attendance of the commonalty or freemen, who were rarely called to the corporate meetings, except on occasions of elections to the office of sovereign, on vacancies happening in the year, of which numerous instances have occurred.
17.
The Serjeants at Mace are elected by the sovereign and free burgesses.
They are, by the charter, to continue in their offices during good behaviour, or at the will and pleasure of the sovereign, free burgesses, and commonalty.
Instances occur in the corporation books of their being annually elected.
They act as bailiffs, or constables, under the sovereign, in the regulation of the markets, removal of nuisances, &c.
They summon the free burgesses to the corporate meetings, and are bound to serve and execute the process ofthe Borough Court.
They have salaries of i£5 a-year each, and a suit of clothes, and are permitted to reside in the market house, or town house, which belongs to the corporation.
They have the following fees on the execution of the process of the Borough Court:
s.
d.
Service of summons --0 5 Executing attachment --11 Executing decree ---1 1 18.
The Town Clerk was formerly elected by the sovereign and free burgesses.
The office Town Clerk, appears to have been held for life, but there are instances of annual elections.
This officer has been latterly appointed by the sovereign for his own convenience, and is not now expressly recognised as a servant of the corporation.
The last election by the sovereign and free burgesses appears to have been in 1799.
The town clerk's duties appear to be to act as register of the Borough Court, and to record the proceedings of that court and of the corporate meetings.
He had formerly a small salary from the corporation, which was fixed at £3, in 1743.
The emoluments of the office were latterly derived from fees on the proceedings of the court.
*
19.
The election of a Recorder by the sovereign and free burgesses occurs frequently in Recorder, the books of the corporation from a very early period; it was annual, and the individual M.
C.I.
5R
Serjeants at Mace, how elected.
Their Functions,
and Emoluments.
