In 'De Paper': James Street at its worst and best, through the pages of the Cork Examiner

Although the civil, religious and other state records which make up the backbone of James Street's history tell us so much about the inhabitants, workers and businesses present on the street during the last few centuries, sometimes the everyday happenings can be lost. One main way of trying to fill in this important gap in our knowledge of the street is through newspaper articles, and where better to look for such articles than Cork's own newspaper, what was then The Cork Examiner, now the Irish Examiner.

Much of the entries into this newspaper include court reports, police notices, and advertisements, all small pieces of a larger jigsaw, microcosms of Irish society at the time of writing. In this post, they will be discussed chronologically and set in context, where possible, with the civil records.

1840s 

20th September 1841: A political assault

The article concerns an assault during which a Conservative, Mr Exham, is chased down James Street by a number of people and attacked. Presumably this is the court report for an incident which happened during the general election of July 1841, in which the Whigs gained a narrow victory in Cork City (Wiki Link). A history of the Exham family in Cork is available from this source.

26th December 1842 - Two men at court for indecent assault at James Street

Another assault case is reported on here, in this case a pair of men and brothers, Thomas and Hugh Ruby, who set upon one Hannah Nagle on James Street as she was approaching her own lodgings. A horrific tale, it also hints at the somewhat unsavoury nature of at least one of the buildings on James Street at the time being of 'ill repute'.

2nd April 1845: Daniel Horgan, James Street, declared insolvent.

This record for one David Horgan's insolvency is an interesting one - perhaps a reflection of the onset of the Famine, and/or the impact of the eroding Corn Laws. These Laws protected local producers from cheaper imports by not imposing trade tarriffs on corn. However, by 1844/45, opposition to this had grown and many called for the repeal of the law. In early 1846, the law was repealed: Wiki on the subject of Corn Laws. It seems Horgan was not declaring insolvent with no money, as he can be found in the trade directory of 1844/45 as a coach maker, and continued trading on the street, being a tenant there still in 1853.

14th October 1844: A letter to the Wide Street Commissioners

This impassioned plea to those involved in the Wide Street Commission in Cork to address the condition of the footpaths and streets around James Street. His point on social classes resident on the street is interesting - he implies that those living on James Street are semi-abandoned by the City Corporation due to their economic status and somewhat lower-paid workers.

8th March 1847: Corn again on the menu at James Street!

Just three years after Horgan had bowed out of corn brokerage at James Street, a Mr Burke is found to be advertising corn for sale at a premises at Great George's Street (now Washington Street) and James Street. Note that this fare now includes imported, Indian meal, as a result of the repeal of the Corn Laws!

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to be continued....