Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1784-1824 (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
One bound volume of 386 pp.
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Francis Arthur was the only surviving son of Patrick Arthur, a prominent wine and timber merchant in Limerick city and developer of the new suburb, Newtown Pery. Patrick also built Arthur’s Quay on the Shannon and laid out a number of streets which he named after members of his own family. Francis was in partnership with his father on these projects from about the mid-1770s. By the early 1790s, Francis Arthur was one of the leading Catholics of Limerick City and doing successful business not only in Limerick but also in the neighbouring counties, most notably Cork and Kerry.
In 1796, Francis Arthur raised and trained a corps of yeomanry artillery at his own expense as protections against a feared French invasion. In May 1798 he was accused of treason for concealing weapons and advancing money to Lord Edward Fitzgerald, the leader of the United Irishmen. At his trial, which took place a month later, Francis was refused counsel and most of his witnesses were excluded from the court. He was sentenced to transportation for life to Botany Bay and fined £5,000. After a petition by his wife to the Lord Lieutenant, Francis was liberated on condition that he leave Ireland. He moved to England but retained his business interests in Limerick and made sporadic visits to the city. He died on 17 June 1824 in Dunkirk, France, where he had been living for some years prior to his death.
Francis Arthur married Ellen née Sexton in 1779 and by her had a son, Patrick Edmond (1783-1814), who qualified as a barrister and married Susanna Grainger in 1812; and at least four daughters: Catherine (1780-1867) who became a nun; Alicia (1785-1859), who married Jeremiah Scully in 1809; Margaret (b. 1789) who married Daniel Leahy in 1818; and Ellen (1793-1842), who became a nun. Some records identify a fifth daughter, Maria, who married Patrick Greene in 1806, while other records state that Patrick Greene was Margaret Arthur’s first husband.
Archival history
Unknown
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Purchased by the University of Limerick from Father John Leonard on 21 December 2002.
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Bound hardback account book, embossed on the spine 'Limerick Rent Book 180-1824' in gilt lettering. The book contains accounts kept by Francis Arthur, merchant and developer of Limerick city, primarily of rents collected from tenants of properties in his possession, including Arthurs Quay, Francis Street, Patrick Street, Denmark Street, William Street, Market Alley, Market Stalls, Boherboy & Sexton Street, Georges Street, Mary Street, Robert Street, Coloony Street, Pennywell, Coonagh and Mary Field in Limerick together with stores and ‘two extensive & valuable tenements situate in Buckingham Square & White Street' in Cork city. The book also contains accounts of Francis Arthur's annual business income and outgoings and of insurances payable by him, lists of rents assigned by Francis Arthur to his son Patrick Edmond Arthur and his son-in-law Daniel Leahy upon their respective marriages; transactions with various private banks including Robert Shaw & Co; Curtis, Robarts & Co.; and Thomas and William Roche; accounts of various court cases in which Arthur was involved and legal matters relating to the death of his son-in-law Patrick Grene [Greene] and his son Patrick Edmond Arthur; statements concerning bonds, mortgages and dividends; statements concerning rent arrears and other debts due to Arthur; and business accounts of his son-in-law Daniel Leahy. The latter pages contain accounts of financial transactions with individuals and businesses in France, including Luke Callaghan of Paris, Monsieur Everard Surdobbel of St Omer and Dominick Morel & Fils of Dunkerque [Dunkirk]. The accounts conclude with a list of Francis Arthur's funeral expenses added to the book in a different hand.
The back of the book contains a handwritten copy of a conveyance dated 1822 between Francis Arthur of the first part; his daughter Ellen Arthur of the second part; and his son-in-law Daniel Leahy of the third part, in which Arthur transfers the entirety of his property to Daniel Leahy to create a provision for his daughters Ellen Arthur and Margaret Leahy and to create a fund for his own maintenance and support.
The book is paginated but the pagination is irregular. For the accounts part, mirrored pagination has been applied, that is the verso and recto sides of an opening bear the same page number. Pages 1a-4a are missing, as are pages 10b/11a, 31b-35a, 42a/43b (except for the topmost part), 48b/49a, 51b/52a and 70b/71a. About one third of page 61b/62a is missing, while pages 74b/75a and 96b-98a lack bottom halves. From page 147 each page is numbered individually; page 154 appears three times, and from page 155 to book reverts to mirrored numbering until its conclusion with page 165. The pages at the end of the book containing the copy conveyance have been numbered individually, from 1 to 74. The intervening pages between these two sections are blank, except for sketches by a young person. Similar sketches appear on other pages throughout the book and are probably of late nineteenth- or early twentieth-century origin.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Unrestricted access to item.
Conditions governing reproduction
Standard copyright regulations apply. For photocopying or reproducing material, please consult with the staff.
Language of material
- English
Script of material
Language and script notes
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Bound hardback volume with fragments of a clasp on the back cover. Fragile, with some damage to back cover and spine, lacking pages 1-4, with other torn, missing and loose pages. Use book rest for support.
Finding aids
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Microfilm and other copies of documents relating to the Arthur family can be found in the National Library, including an indictment of Francis Arthur as a United Irishman and an entry book of his ancestor Thomas Arthur, a doctor in Limerick city.
Notes area
Alternative identifier(s)
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Description control area
Description identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
This description follows guidelines based on ISAD(G) 2nd edition, 2000; Irish Guidelines for Archival Description, 2009; National Council on Archives: Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997; and EAP Guidance on Data Protection for Archive Services, 2018.
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Archivist's note
Document described by Anna-Maria Hajba in August 2024. The following sources were used for the compilation of this finding aid: C. J. Woods, ‘Arthur, Francis’ in Dictionary of Irish Biography (https://www.dib.ie/index.php/biography/arthur-francis-a0231); Michael Kelly, The Arthur’s of Limerick (2019); Ancestry; and British Newspaper Archive.