6 REPORTS FROM COMMISSIONERS ON
Ancient Boroughs.
Cities and Towns.
TRIM TUAM -
TULSKE WATERFORD WEXFORD WICKLOW YOUGHAL
Counties of Meath.
Gain ay.
Roscommon.
County of the City of.
Wexford.
Wicklow.
Cork.
In addition to these Municipalities, there were, at the period of the Legislative Union between Great Britain and Ireland, IS Boroughs, which returned Members to the Irish Parliament, into which we deemed it our duty to inquire, with the view of ascertaining how far they partook of the character of Municipal Cor¬ porations.
The result of the Inquiry has established that of these Boroughs seven were, at not very remote periods, Corporate Municipalities, acting, or at least con¬ stituted, under Royal Charters still on record, viz.:
Towns.
Counties of | Towns.
Counties of BALTIMORE CLOGHER DUNG V RYAN -
LISMORE
Cork.
T\rone.
Wateribrd.
Waterford.
'
MALLOW -
NEWRY -
TALLAGH -
Cork.
Down.
Waterford.
With respect to the following five, the existence, either of a corporation or of burgage tenure, is noticed in ancient records, but no charter of incorporation has been discovered, viz.:
Towns.
Counties of Towns.
Counties of CLONMINF.S
Wexford.
SWORDS Dublin.*
DOWN PATRICK Down.
TAGHMON -Wexford.
RATOATH Meath.
And the six remaining boroughs, though possessing charters empowering them to return Members to Parliament, never, as far as we have been able to trace, possessed the character of Municipal Corporations.
They are :
Towns.
Counties of Tou ns.
Counties of ANTRIM DONERAILE LISBURNE
Antrim.
Cork.
Antrim.
MULLINGAR -
RANDALSTOWN RATHCORMAC -
Westmeath Antrim.
Cork.
In the course of our Inquiry we have observed traces, in the public records of early date-, of the existence of Municipal Corporations, or authorities, in many other ancient towns but have not found any later indication or recognition of those bodies, or that the towns at any time returned Members to Parliament.
We deem it not irrelevant to the objects of our Inquiry to state briefly, as follows, the names of the towns, the title of the Municipal body or authority, and the instruments in which mention appears to be made of them :
Dale of Grant.
10 Jul.
1310 4Edw.
II.
20 Feb 137G 51 Edw.
III.
a.d.
1311 4 Edw.
II.
8 Jan.
1317, 11 Edw.
II.
6 Aug.
1373 49 Edw.
III.
Towns.
12 Jul.
1344 18 Edw.
III.
1.
Adare.
2.
Ardfynan
3.
Botavaunt.
4.
QirrykMcGrirFyn.
Names of Municipal Belies
The BailiSs and good men of.
The Provost and Com¬ monalty of the town of.
The Bailiffs and good men of.
The Commonalty of the town of.
The Provost and Com¬ monalty of.
The Provost and Com¬ monalty of the town of.
Subject of Grant.
Murage granted to.
Exemption granted to them from subsidies, &c, till their town should be re¬ built.
Pontage, for 3 years.
£105 granted for murage.
Ratification of their grant of part of the waste of Botavaunt, and the north gate and customs there.
Restoration for a term of years of a grant of mu¬ rage and pontage, which had been suspended.
Enrolment.
Rot.
Pat.
3,4Edw.II.m.L
Rot.
Claus.
51 Edw.
III.
m.
2.
d.
Rot.
Pat.
3, 4 Edw.
II.
m.7.
Rot.
Mem.
13, 14 Edw.
II.
m.
41.
d.
Pat.
49 Edw.
III.
a.
161.
Claus.
17, 18 Edw.
III.
m.7.
* There is on record a charter of incorporation, in the 5th year of James II.
to Swords; but we .have
generally considered the charters of that reign, especially those of so late a date, as of no operation.
