School: Béal an Átha Móir (B.)

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1. Lord Leitrim (continued)

   

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   In those days landlords exerted extraordinary powers over their tenants. Even the most tyrannical king weilded no such power as L. Leitrim for he was judge, jury and executioner, throughout his whole estate.
   Besides being landlord he was also a magistrate and he used his power as such to dishonour the wife and daughters of his tenants. If a tenant refused to send his daughter to act as servant in Lord Leitrim's castle that tenant was evicted and perhaps punished, or fined in the law courts for crimes he never committed. The morality of his retainers was little better than that of himself as the following story goes to prove.

   An ex-British army man, a Presbyterian, named Stephens, held a small piece of land in Donegal. Lord Leitrim was his landlord. The earl was driving in his own coach when he met Stephens who had a cart with him. Lord Leitrim ordered Stephens to throw his cart across the fence to let the coach pass in the centre of the road, though the road was wide enough for both. Stephens at first refused, but having being severely horse whipped by the earl, he was finally forced to throw the cart across the dyke. Even when Stephens had put the cart off the road Lord Leitrim

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. place-space-environment
      1. land management (~4,110)

   Language

   English

   Informant

   James Gilheany

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   c. 80

   Address

   Clogher, Co. Leitrim

   Drumcroman, Co. Leitrim