In a chronology of Irish history, the first accurate census of Ireland in 1841 records a population of 8,175,124. It coincides with the gigantic goodbye signed by 160,000 people and presented to the popular Chief Secretary for Ireland, Lord Morpeth, when he left Dublin in 1841. On the first sheet the testimonial contains the names of nobility, first being that of the Duke of Leinster and the rest of the organising committee. Most of the signatories were from the aristocracy, gentry and professional and merchant classes. Further research may show that other socio-economic groups were also involved.
Lord Morpeth enjoyed good relations with Daniel O’Connell and his followers. During his time in office he won many friends and admirers for his reforming legislation and for helping to advance Catholic politicians, and the people of Ireland wanted to give him a spectacular send off. He returned to his splendid family home Castle Howard in Yorkshire taking the testimonial with him, but after his death it lay unrecognised in a castle basement for over a century. Now this unique document has returned to Ireland for research and conservation in a joint project between Castle Howard, NUI Maynooth and Ancestry.com
It comprises 652 sheets of paper stuck together and wrapped around an enormous bobbin. The entire roll measures a staggering 420 metres in length. The huge document was assembled in just five weeks in the summer of 1841, as people across Ireland responded to Daniel O’Connell’s call for signatures. And then somebody made the inspired decision to wind these names around a large wooden bobbin housed in a chest. The Morpeth Roll is not just a monumental farewell card it is an extraordinary mechanical object – a continuously winding roll of paper.
During 2013-14 the exhibition The Morpeth Roll, Ireland Identified will travel to selected venues in the four provinces of Ireland with the support of its partners providing a chance for the people of Ireland to see it for the first time in 170 years. It will tell the story of Lord Morpeth and just why he was so popular in Ireland. It also tells the story of why the roll was created and just how it was pieced together to make a document that when unrolled is three times the length of Croke Park in Dublin.
In Ireland Identified, the names offer a very special window onto Ireland just before the calamities of the 1840s. What happened to these individuals during the years of the famine ? Where were they ten years later ? Were they alive or dead, prospering or failing, in Ireland or overseas ? The Morpeth Roll goes to the heart of the idea of departing from, and returning to, Ireland. The travelling exhibition will support the celebrations of Irish culture, tradition and genealogy in association with The Gathering Ireland 2013.
Lord Viscount Morpeth
He was appointed Chief Secretary for Ireland and after long battles he eventually carried through reforming legislation on Irish tithes and municipal government.
George Howard (Lord Viscount Morpeth) was born in 1802 and became an elected Member of Parliament in 1826. He was the third successive generation of the family to be involved in political affairs of Ireland. Unusually for a grand aristocratic family, the Howard relationship with Ireland was not based on land ownership, the family never owned Irish estates, nor did they marry into Irish families. Their power base was always in the north of England with estates in Yorkshire, Northumberland and Cumberland, the principal family seat being the famous Castle Howard. Thus their connection with Ireland was purely through political office, and their status was always one of officials, visitors or temporary residents.
The unique testimonial The Morpeth Roll was presented to him during a ceremony at the Royal Exchange which was followed by a grand banquet in the Theatre Royal.
Ita Marguet, May 2013
Note : Acknowledgement is given to sources used in preparation of this text. Exhibition brochure The Morpeth Roll, Ireland Identified provides information on dates and places of the exhibition with related siteswww.nuim.ie, www.castlehoward.co.uk, www.ancestry.com/Morpeth,www.thegatheringireland.com The brochure has a portrait painting of Lord Morpeth and other images in the context of the exhibition.
Ita
