Famine letters bought by archive

SOME 2,000 letters relating to the Famine that were due to be auctioned today have been bought by an archive in Ireland.

Adam’s auctioneers said it could not reveal who bought the letters or for how much but an announcement would be made in due course.

It said “after intensive successful negotiations, with Kennys of Galway acting as intermediary, we are delighted to announce that the Stewart and Kincaid Famine letters are to be kept together as a collection and given to an important archive here in Ireland, where they will, in due course, be available for academic research”.

The collection includes letters from landlords’ agents and sublandlords all over the country, concerning the collection of rent. There are letters from clergymen asking for charity for those who could not write and from tenants asking for relief and mercy.

Stewart and Kincaid acted for landlords such as Lord Palmerston and Col Wingfield in Sligo, Daniel Ferrall in Roscommon, the Marquess of Westmeath, also in Roscommon, the Stratford estate in Clare and Limerick and the Frankfort estates in Kilkenny and Carlow.

There had been fears that the letters were going to leave the country, as Adam’s had received many inquiries from the US.

Adam’s director Stuart Cole said the letters were an “unparalleled collection”. He said there would be “a lot of very disappointed people” who had hoped to acquire some of the letters.

But he said it was good news that the letters were being kept in the country and kept in a collection, rather than being sold in lots. The letters were in lots 1-147 in the auction. Lots 148-332 in the auction catalogue are unaffected and will be offered for sale as planned today. They mainly relate to sculptures and literature relating to the Famine.