The Will of Catherine Bonynge of Ratoath

The Four Courts, 30 June 1922
Photo courtesy NLI Commons

30 June 1922:  Three days into the Battle of Dublin, the first conflict in what will become the Irish Civil War, fire breaks out at the Four Courts, home to the Public Records Office, leaving the building a burned-out shell and destroying most of its 800 years' worth of holdings.  To this day the precise point of origin of the conflagration remains unclear; the building had been under heavy shelling by the Free State army for the previous two days while anti-Treaty Irregulars were holed up inside. The one indisputable fact of the destruction of the Four Courts is that much of Ireland's official recorded history went with it, including nearly all of the wills held by the Principal Registry.  This background is necessary to explain why the survival of any of Catherine Bonynge's will, let alone as large a portion of it as we have, is somewhat remarkable.

Catherine Bonynge (or Bonnynge) was one of the two sisters memorialized at Glasnevin Cemetery by Dr. Laurence O'Reilly of Ratoath, Meath, buried in the same plot as Dr. O'Reilly and his brother and (possibly?) sister, James and Bridget O'Reilly.  She and her sister, Bridget Bonynge, were spinsters who lived at Ratoath, and evidently owned quite a bit of Dublin real estate.  Both died within days of one another at Ratoath in 1841, and were buried together in Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin, beneath a monument bearing their names and Dr. O'Reilly's.  The Prerogative Court, which proved Irish wills until the Principal Registry was established in 1858, did leave a surviving index of the wills recorded there, and shows that both Bridget and Catherine left wills.  Those originals would have been among the records destroyed by the Four Courts Fire in 1922, but a hefty portion of Catherine Bonynge's will survives, published with other Irish charitable bequests, among the Parliamentary session papers of 22 January-28 August 1846.  Unfortunately, whatever relationship existed between the Bonynge and O'Reilly families remains unanswered by this portion, though it is not outside the realm of possibility that Dr. O'Reilly may even be the unnamed executor.  Whatever questions it leaves unanswered aside, one thing it does provide us with is a small historical window into Dublin in the first half of the 19th century.  I have reproduced the surviving text in full and annotated it below:

Catherine Bonynge, late of Ratoath, in the County of Meath, Spinster:

Thirdly, after the payment of all my just and lawful debts and funeral expenses, I bequeath unto my beloved sister, Bridget Bonynge, the residue and remainder of all my worldly substance, of what nature or kind soever it may be; but if it please the Lord that I should survive her, I hereby will and bequeath unto the Right Rev. John Cantwell, Roman-catholic bishop of Meath, and to the Rev. Patrick Sheridan, parish priest of Ratoath for the time being, and for ever until the end of time, all my right and title and interest in certain houses and premises situated, lying, and being in the parish of St. Michans ¹, in the city of Dublin, formerly called Millar's Large Gardens, and more particularly described in the lease thereof, at present in the possession of Standford Carroll, esq. or his under-tenants, and yielding a rent of 32 l. 6 s. 2 d. annually; also my interest in certain houses and premises situated in North King-street, in the city of Dublin, at present occupied by the representatives of the late Patrick Donnelly, and yielding an annual rent of 18 l. 9 s. 3 d. sterling; also my interest in certain houses and premises situated in North Anne-street, in the city of Dublin, at present in the occupation of Mr. Jameson ², as representative of Major Flood, which produce an annual rent of 9 l. 4 s. 7 d. sterling; and, finally, my interest in a holding situated in North King-street, at the corner of Beresford-street, in the city of Dublin, occupied by Thomas Clarke, esq. or his under-tenants, as representative of Mr. Garstin, and yielding a yearly rent of 4 l. 16 s. 11 d. sterling; all the foregoing rents and profits for the trusts and purposes hereinafter to be specified; namely, in the first place, for the payment of an income of 40 l. per annum to Catherine Brenan, otherwise Fagan, during the term of her natural life ³ ; and, secondly, for the payment of the surplus sum of 24 l. 16 s. 11 d. as an annual donation to the governors in aid of the funds of that extremely charitable institution called St. Vincent's Hospital, situate in Stephen's-green, in the city of Dublin, and under the immediate superintendence of the religious sisters of charity; the above sum to be allocated by the said governors for the maintenance of that laudable establishment, on the express condition that the holy sacrifice of the mass be offered up in the chapel of the convent or hospital once in every week, without limit of time and until the end of time, for the benefit of my soul, and of the souls of my parents, sisters, ancestors, and friends, and that the prayers of the religious community shall upon every occasion recommend our souls to the divine mercy.  It is also my will, that after the death of the said Catherine Brenan, a further sum of 20 l. annually shall be paid by my trustees unto the governors of the hospital, with the same intentions as before mentioned.  I also hereby will and bequeath the remaining 20 l. to be annually paid by my trustees to the religious community of nuns of the Carmelite order at Blanchardstown, or on factur* ⁴ of that foundation, to any other branch of the same order, on the following condition, that they shall always maintain in their community one deserving female, who may have the vocation without the means of becoming a sister of that order, and who is to be recommended whenever a vacancy may occur by my said trustees.  I hereby will and bequeath the sum of 100 l. towards the completion of the new chapel of Ratoath, which is now erected for the greater honour and glory of Almighty God; and I also hereby will and bequeath towards the completion of the new chapel of Dunderrybridge ⁵ 50 l., for the greater honour and glory of Almighty God.  I also leave 100 l. for masses for the benefit of my soul, and those of my parents, sisters, and friends, to be given by my executor to clergymen as he thinks best.  I also hereby will and bequeath to the poor of Ratoath 50 l.; and I also will and bequeath to the poor of Tutlanghstown ⁶ 50 l.; and after the payment of all my just debts, if there should be any money remaining, I also will and bequeath it to the poor of the parish of Ratoath.

Notes:
1) St. Michan's Catholic church, still located in Halston Street; Dr. O'Reilly also had a connection to this parish.
2) members of the Jameson family owned a brewery on North Anne Street; their now-famous whiskey distillery was a few streets away on Bow Street
3) probably a niece; Cogan's history of the Diocese of Meath records a marriage at Tullaghanstown 4 January 1796 between Alice Bonynge and Michael Fagan of Ratoath.
4) asterisk present in the source and is not my addition
5) unclear whether this refers to the current church in Dunderry or one at Churchtown, Co. Meath
6) likely Tullaghanstown