An 18th Century Industrial Estate
Arthur Young’s Account of Blarney
1776, Sept.15th, the Blarney Castle, S.J. Jefferys Esq., of whose great works in building a town at Blarney, I cannot give so particular an account as I wish to do; for I got there just as he and his family were setting out for France. I did not however let slip the time I had for making some enquiries and found that in 1765, when Mr. Jefferys began to build this town, it consisted only of two or three mud cabins; there are now 90 houses. He first established the linen manufactory, building a bleach-mill, and houses for weavers etc., and letting them to manufacturers from Cork, who have been so successful in their works as to find it necessary to have larger and more numerous edifices, such as a large stamping mill for printing linens and cottons, to which annexed another bleach-mill, and since there has been a third erected; the work carried on is that of buying yarn, and weaving it into linens, ten pence to thirty pence white; also diapers, sheeting, ticking and linens and cottons of all sorts printed here, for common use and furniture. These several branches of the linen, employ 130 looms, and above 300 hands.
Another of Mr. Jefferys’ objects has been stocking manufacture, which employs 20 frames and 30 hands, in buildings erected by him; the manager employing by covenant, a certain number of apprentices, in order by their being instructed, to diffuse the manufactory. Like-wise a woollen manufactory, a mill for milling, tucking etc., broad cloths; a gig mill for glossing, smoothing, and laying the grain and a mill for knapping, which will dress above 500 pieces a year, but will be more, when some alterations now making are finished. A leather mill for dressing shamoy, buck or skins, fully employed. A large bolting mill, just finished, and let for £32 a year. A mill annexed to the same, just finishing for plating, and a blade mill for grinding edge tools. A large paper mill, which will be finished this year. He has been able to erect this multiplicity of mills, 13 in all by an uncommon command of water.
The town is built in a square, composed of a large handsome inn and manufacturers houses, all built of excellent stone, lime and slate. A church, by the first fruits and liberal addition of above £300 from Mr. Jefferys. A market house in which are sold a hundred pounds worth of knit stockings per week. 4 bridges, which he obtained from the county, and another (the flat arch) to which he contributed a considerable sum. Much has been done, yet is not the design near finished.
To show the magnitude of these works, and the degree of public good resulting from them, I shall mention the expense at which they have been executed. Respecting the principal bleach-mill, Messrs. Forrest and Donoghue, under the Linen Act, took 15 acres at a guinea an acre, upon which they have expended £5,000 in erecting a linen mill and a bleach green, 25 houses for 25 weavers’ families, 4 looms in each house, a large dwelling house for themselves or their director; in each house, a man, his wife, 3 apprentices, 2 girls and 2 boys, besides young infants. In a short time, the farm was increased, and land which before had only brought half a guinea, then let for a guinea. The Linen Board advanced £500 to this work, and Mr. Jefferys repaid them £1,400 of the £5,000. The old rent of the premises was £40 per year, the new rent £71. Another bleach-mill, which cost £300 to which the Board added £300 and the person to whom it is let, £600, 40 acres of land, formerly let at £10 per year to go with them. The whole rent now £8o. To this mill is added since an oat mill, which cost £300, two tuck-mills, £200, a leather mill and kilns, £159, 2 dwelling houses, £300. A stamping mill which cost Mr. Jefferys £2,300, to which the Board added £300 promising £1,000 more when the works should be finished, which they have been these 2 years. 12 printing tables are kept going and 65 hands employed. 12 printers, 12 tire boys, 3 print cutters, 18 bleach-men, 6 pencillers, 2 tub-men, 1 clerk, 1 calender, 1 manager 2 draughtsmen, 4 copper-men, 3 carters. Besides the above sums the manufacturer has laid out £500. The quantity of land occupied is 25 acres; old rent £6 10s, new £113 15s. A stocking factory for which Mr. Jefferys lent £200, the man laid out £300 himself; he occupies 50 acres before let at £20 a year, now at £76 11s. A gig-mill for which Mr. Jefferys lent £300 till repaid by the Dublin Society who granted £300 towards it, and the tenant laid out £200 the quantity of land here is 11 acres let at £5 10s, now at £36.
A manufactory of tape is established by which means 6 acres of land are advanced from £2 8s to £9. They have 3 looms going which make 102 pieces a day of 36 yards each. The Dublin Society gave £20 to it, A paper mill which has cost Mr Jefferys £1,100 and is not yet let. A bolting mill on which he has expended £1,100, the tenant £500 on adding an iron mill. 20 acres of land, rent before £9 10s, now is £132 13s. The church has cost Mr Jefferys £500 and the first fruits £500 or more. The new inn £250 and the tenant £300 more. 70 acres of land before at £20 a year, now £83 9s. A dwelling house £250 to which the tenant added £500. 90 acres of land before let at £54, the new rent is £74. 12 cottages and a lime kiln which cost £280. 2 dwelling houses and a forge cost him £150 and to which parliament granted £250 more. Upon the whole therefore, Mr Jefferys has expended £7,630 in these establishments. Of public money there has been added £2,170 and the tenants themselves laid out £9,050 in all which totalled £18,850 besides what Mr. Jefferys laid out on bridges etc, in the whole very near, if not full £20,000 upon matters of a public nature. In all these establishments he has avoided undertaking or carrying on any of the manufactures upon his own account, from a conviction that a gentleman can never do it without suffering very considerably. His object was to form a town, to give employment to the people and to improve the value of his estate by so doing, in all which views it must be admitted that the near neighbourhood of so considerable a place as Cork very much contributed, the same means he has pursued would, in all situations be probably the most advisable, though the returns might be much less advantageous. Too much can scarcely be said in praise of the spirit with which a private gentleman has executed these works which would undoubtedly to honour to the greatest fortune. Mr Jefferys, besides the above establishments, has very much improved Blarney Castle and its environs; he has formed an extensive ornamented ground which is laid out with considerable taste; an extensive plantation surrounds a large piece of water and walks through the whole; there are several very pretty sequestered spots where covered benches are placed.
