Reference Code: IE 2135 P20
Title: The Barry Papers
Dates of Creation: 1821-1931
Extent and Medium: 2 boxes (75 files)
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Context
Name of Creator(s): The Barry families of Sandville, Ballyneety, County Limerick, and of Leamlara, County Cork.
Biographical History: The Sandville branch of the Barry family is descended from David Barry, who received a grant of land in county Limerick having saved the life of an Englishman during the 1641-42 war. Originally called Fryarstown, the name of the estate had been changed to Sandville by the time of the marriage of John Barry in 1804 to Mary O’Shaughnessy. Their eldest son, James, established himself at Bellevue, Croom, county Limerick, while the Sandville property passed to the third son, John. Following the latter’s death without issue in 1860, both properties passed to James Grene Barry (1841-1929), James’s eldest son.
The Leamlara branch of the family is often referred to as Standish Barry to distinguish it from the other Barry families in the area. The Leamlara estate near Carrigtwohill, county Cork, was granted to the Barrys at the time of the Anglo-Norman invasion. A castle built on the property in the fourteenth century was utilised in the mid eighteenth century for the construction of Leamlara House. It remained the family seat until the death of Henry Standish Barry in 1945, when his two surviving daughters sold the property to the Irish Land Commission. Leamlara was the birthplace of Garrett Standish Barry, the first Catholic Member of the Parliament to be elected after the 1829 Emancipation Act.
Archival History: Unknown.
Immediate Source of Acquisition: Purchased by the University of Limerick from De Búrca Rare Books on 12 October 2005.
Content and Structure
Scope and Content: The papers in the collection relate mainly to the Sandville branch of the family and mostly to the activities of James Grene Barry (1841-1929). They include early twentieth-century notes on family history, possibly compiled by James Grene Barry who was known for his antiquarian interests. The notes trace the history of the Sandville and other branches of the family to Elizabethan times and include much interesting material, such as handwritten copies of leases, mortgages and other documents, and pedigrees of the Barry and other families.
James Grene Barry’s political activities are recorded in a series of documents relating to his objection to Gladstone’s Home Rule Bill of 1893. Of particular interest is a letter from James Alexander Rentoul, MP for East Down, outlining his plans to canvass Grand Jury members across the country against the Bill (P20/2/7).
Administrative records in this collection relate in the main to the Sandville branch Barrys. They are mostly concerned with the family’s financial affairs and also provide an interesting insight into Land League activities in county Limerick at the turn of the twentieth century. One of the few items relating to the Standish Barry branch of Leamlara is a ledger of farm accounts kept by Henry Standish Barry (P20/3/1/1/6).
Another set of documents reflects the professional activities as estate agents of James Grene Barry and his son James Thomas Barry, and the effects on local landowning families of the various Land Acts passed in the early twentieth century. Of particular interest are items relating to the purchase of land from Henry Lyons of Croom Castle (P20/3/2/1/1-9), and the sale of part of the Islandmore estate by Major Roche Kelly (P20/3/2/2/1-2).
Finally, the collection contains deeds and a draft will relating to the Shine family of Coolyhenan, county Limerick, many of whom served as Justices of the Peace for county Limerick in the late nineteenth century. The reason for their presence among the Barry papers has not been ascertained.
Appraisal, Destruction and Scheduling Information: All records have been retained.
Accruals: No accruals are expected.
System of Arrangement: The documents have been divided thematically into four series. Series 1 contains notes on family history. Series 2 contains press cuttings, printed circulars and correspondence relating to James Grene Barry’s political activities. Series 3 contains administrative records relating to the estates of the Barry family and to those managed by them as agents. Series 4 contains documents relating to the Shine family.
Conditions of Access and Use
Conditions Governing Access: Unrestricted access to all items.
Conditions Governing Reproduction: Standard copyright regulations apply to all items. For photocopying or reproducing material, please consult with the staff.
Language/ Scripts of Material: English.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements: Paper documents, mainly in good condition. Some fragile items require conservation treatment and may not be available for consultation. These items have been identified in the descriptive catalogue.
Finding Aids: A hard copy of the descriptive catalogue is available at the Special Collections and Archives Department, Glucksman Library, University of Limerick.
Allied Materials
Related Units of Description: Some items relating to the Sandville branch of the family, including a rental book of the Bellview estate kept by James Grene Barry, are held by the Limerick City Museum (http://museum.limerick.ie/). Papers of the Standish Barry family of Leamlara (incorporating estate maps, photographs and press cuttings relating to the sale of the property) are held by Cork County Library.
Description Control
Archivist’s Note: Papers arranged and described by Anna-Maria Hajba.
Rules or Conventions: This description follows guidelines based on ISAD(G) 2nd edition, 2000; Irish Guidelines for Archival Description, 2009; National Council on Archives: Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997; and EAP Guidance on Data Protection for Archive Services, 2018.
Date of Description: November 2009. Revised July 2021.
© Copyright 2010 Special Collections Library, University of Limerick
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