Building History

dee12_7

I was wondering if anyone knows how I could find out the history of a particular site or building in County Cork? I am interested in finding out about the history of the Huntsman pub in Tower such as when it was first opened, who owned the site and the previous owners and staff etc. I have never researched an individual building before so I don't know where to start.Any help would be great. Thanks

lottpaul

The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage Building Survey is pretty good

http://www.buildingsofireland.ie/Surveys/Buildings/

Just click on the map to select your area and use the advanced search feature to choose public house etc and you might find it

dee12_7

It brings up no results so I assume that no surveys have been carried out on the site.

Menas

Have a look at the old cork city and county directories. Some are indexed by street. I have found reference to some buildings of interest there (pubs).

http://www.corkpastandpresent.ie/places/streetandtradedirectories/1884citycountyalmanacanddirectoryguys/

pinkypinky

You could look at the valuation records and see who paid the rates over the years. The records are not currently online but accessible in an office in Dublin.

www.valoff.ie

Coolnabacky1873

Depending on your interest (the inhabitants/owners of the plot vs. the building) it would be worth focusing on the deeds to the land/property.

Keep it mind that as you go back the current plot might have been originally part of a larger plot and so on.

The Registry of Deeds records go back to 1708. They are not online but there is an indexing project.

John Grenham has all sorts of warnings about their lack of use if you are not researching land owning Church of Ireland members who were in a legal dispute at some stage!

Alos, check out landregistry.ie as they have propoerty titles mapped on the OSI maps of Ireland.

dee12_7

I'm looking for the previous owners and inhabitants of the building but i'm finding it very difficult to find anything about the site. Thank you for the link. So far I haven't been successful with finding what I'm looking for but if I study it a bit more I might find something which will lead me in the right direction. Thanks again!

shanew

in case the location details help for searches of revision books etc ... the townland for the Huntsman appears to be Coolflugh, and it's just over 415 acres. Civil parish is Matehy, and barony East Muskerry. See : Google Street view , modern OSI, 1st Edition OSI

No sign of a pub in the townland on the 1911 census building returns page 1, page 2, page 3 (there's a blank page 4), but there are some possible entries listed under Tower town (building return page 1 , page 2), part of which is located in Coolflugh townland - a widower named George Busteed with some barstaff, also a second public house on the Coolflugh/Tower building return with head of household as Michael Ambrose, who is listed as a 'Salesman Retired' on his Form A', although there is a barmaid listed at the same address. Also on this building returns is a forge, which is shown very near the location of Huntsman in the later (c1890) OSI Map. Tower/Coolflugh

1911 Coolflugh residents (page 1)

dee12_7

Thanks for that shanew. I didn't know that pubs were listed in the Census returns. I thought they just recorded private dwelling places so that's really helpful information. The townland name and parish will be really helpful to me to look into it further.

shanew

I cant see a likely death for George Busteed on the BMD Index, but based on a Will Calendar it seems he died in 1914 and a calendar entry for his probate is listed showing him as a vintner of 'Tower Street, Ann's Hill, Co. Cork'. Executer is a James Byrne, also a vintner. see : link

Probate calendar also shows probate entry for a Michael Ambrose vintner who died 1912, also of 'Tower Street, Ann's Hill, Co. Cork'. Executer is a Michael Ambrose, shopkeeper. see : link