Minute Books of Town Commissioners, Urban District Council, and Town Council
TitleMinute Books of Town Commissioners, Urban District Council, and Town Council
ReferenceTC/CQ/M
Date
23 Dec 1853 - 9 May 2014
CreatorCobh Town Council
Production date 1853 - 2014
Scope and ContentMinute books of Cobh Town Council (14 Jan 2002 - 9 May 2014) and all predecessor bodies, including the Queenstown Commissioners (23 Dec 1853-2 Jan 1899), Urban District Council of Queenstown (16 Jan 1899 - 2 Jul 1920), and Urban District Council of Cobh (2 Jul 1920 - 10 Dec 2001).
Includes monthly meetings of the board of the town council and other special meetings, 1853-2014. Concurrent weekly meetings were held following the establishment of the Urban District Council and minuted in separate volumes between 26 Oct 1900 and 2 Jul 1915.
Sanitary board and waterworks meetings are recorded with the main town council board minutes up to 1890 [TC/CQ/M/001-002], after this period the sanitary board and waterworks meetings are recorded separately. The minute books post 1890 are restricted to the business of the monthly or weekly board meetings. Housing and finance sub-committee meetings are also recorded alongside the weekly and monthly minutes.
The minutes contain information regarding the appointment of officials including the town clerk, night watchmen and town 'scavenger' (cleaner). Business included in the minutes spans the wide range of the council, from the provision of street lighting, to gas, and water utilities. The minutes also record presentments for contracts to pave, build or maintain roads, and construct underground sewers.
Significant civic matters such as official addresses and welcomes from the council to important dignitaries are generally minuted in brief, without the full text or correspondence regarding official visits from dignitaries. The welcome addresses record town and port visits such as the then largest passenger ship in the world, the SS 'Himalaya' in 1854, the visit of Prince Napoleon Bonaparte in 1857 [TC/CQ/M/001], and Winston Churchill in 1912 [TC/CQ/M/004].
The minutes also contain copies of resolutions for letters of condolences to bereaved families in the local area. Letters of condolences record incidents such as the HMS Mars gunfire accident and the HMS A5 submarine explosion, both in the Lower Harbour or Cobh harbour area [TC/CQ/M/004]. The minutes are often accompanied with enclosed replies from the bereaved families, being original letters representing a wide range of people and society living in or with connections to the town. The most significant of these include letters from the American Consulate and the Cunard Steam Ship Co. following the sinking of the Lusitania in May 1915 [TC/CQ/M/W/005].
Council meetings also consider or record details concerning other matters of the port or wider Cork harbour area itself. As such the minutes are a useful addition for researching the port and harbour activity. The importance of the United States mail route in particular is highlighted. The scale of the operation is recorded in the minutes of 23 Dec 1938, where the SS Washington is recorded as landing 1900 sacks of mail on one single occasion [TC/CQ/M/008].
Includes monthly meetings of the board of the town council and other special meetings, 1853-2014. Concurrent weekly meetings were held following the establishment of the Urban District Council and minuted in separate volumes between 26 Oct 1900 and 2 Jul 1915.
Sanitary board and waterworks meetings are recorded with the main town council board minutes up to 1890 [TC/CQ/M/001-002], after this period the sanitary board and waterworks meetings are recorded separately. The minute books post 1890 are restricted to the business of the monthly or weekly board meetings. Housing and finance sub-committee meetings are also recorded alongside the weekly and monthly minutes.
The minutes contain information regarding the appointment of officials including the town clerk, night watchmen and town 'scavenger' (cleaner). Business included in the minutes spans the wide range of the council, from the provision of street lighting, to gas, and water utilities. The minutes also record presentments for contracts to pave, build or maintain roads, and construct underground sewers.
Significant civic matters such as official addresses and welcomes from the council to important dignitaries are generally minuted in brief, without the full text or correspondence regarding official visits from dignitaries. The welcome addresses record town and port visits such as the then largest passenger ship in the world, the SS 'Himalaya' in 1854, the visit of Prince Napoleon Bonaparte in 1857 [TC/CQ/M/001], and Winston Churchill in 1912 [TC/CQ/M/004].
The minutes also contain copies of resolutions for letters of condolences to bereaved families in the local area. Letters of condolences record incidents such as the HMS Mars gunfire accident and the HMS A5 submarine explosion, both in the Lower Harbour or Cobh harbour area [TC/CQ/M/004]. The minutes are often accompanied with enclosed replies from the bereaved families, being original letters representing a wide range of people and society living in or with connections to the town. The most significant of these include letters from the American Consulate and the Cunard Steam Ship Co. following the sinking of the Lusitania in May 1915 [TC/CQ/M/W/005].
Council meetings also consider or record details concerning other matters of the port or wider Cork harbour area itself. As such the minutes are a useful addition for researching the port and harbour activity. The importance of the United States mail route in particular is highlighted. The scale of the operation is recorded in the minutes of 23 Dec 1938, where the SS Washington is recorded as landing 1900 sacks of mail on one single occasion [TC/CQ/M/008].
Extent33 vols
AccessHard copies: Accessible to Readers by appointment. Access restrictions apply to some collections. Digital object/copy: see Download Media and/or Digital Reference
RightsLicensing information available on request by email to archivist@corkcity.ie Copyright Cork City and County Archives, Cork City Council, unless otherwise indicated. All Rights Reserved.
Levelseries
RepositoryCork City and County Archives