1912

County Louth People who opposed Home Rule.

According to the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) the archive of the Ulster Unionist Council, held by PRONI, contains just under half a million original signatures and addresses of the men who, on 28 September 1912, signed the Ulster Covenant, and of the women who signed the parallel Declaration. In total, the Covenant was signed by 237,368 men, and the Declaration by 234,046 women.

Besides the province of Ulster many of those who signed resided elsewhere in Ireland and abroad. In the case of County Louth the Covenant could be signed in Dundalk and in Ballymascanlan Parish Church. But some residents signed elsewhere. In addition it is possible others, because of their occupation or profession such as British army personnel, could not sign such a declaration.
One of the genealogical values, however, of such a record is that for some it gave both a former and a current  address.
 

More information on this record, its background and aftermath, can be found on PRONI website at http://www.proni.gov.uk
 

The wording to the Ulster Covenant signed by men only was:

        'Being convinced in our consciences that Home Rule would be disastrous to the material well-being of Ulster as well as of the whole of Ireland, subversive of our civil and religious freedom, destructive of our citizenship, and perilous to the unity of the Empire, we whose names are underwritten, men of Ulster, loyal subjects of His Gracious Majesty King George V., humbly relying on the God whom our fathers in days of stress and trial confidently trusted, do hereby pledge ourselves in solemn Covenant, throughout this our time of threatened calamity, to stand by one another in defending, for ourselves and our children, our cherished position of equal citizenship in the United Kingdom, and in using all means, which may be found necessary to defeat the present conspiracy to set up a Home Rule Parliament in Ireland.  And in the event of such a parliament been forced upon us, we further solemnly and mutually pledge ourselves to refuse to recognize its authority.
In sure confidence that God will defend the right, we hereby subscribe our names.
         And further, we individually declare that we have not already signed this Covenant.'
 

That signed by women only read:

        'We, whose names are underwritten, women of Ulster, and loyal subjects of our gracious King, being firmly persuaded that Home Rule would be disastrous to our Country, desire to associate ourselves with the men of Ulster in their uncompromising opposition to the Home Rule Bill now before Parliament, whereby it is proposed to drive Ulster out of her cherished place in the constitution of the United Kingdom, and to place her under  the domination and control of a Parliament in Ireland.
            Praying that from this calamity God will save Ireland, we hereto subscribe our names.'

 

Among those who signed, where County Louth address (i.e. postal) is given, were the following:
 

Surname Forename(s) Address Parliamentary Division (or per PRONI) District (or Per PRONI) Place of Signing (or per PRONI) Agent per PRONI Adams Annie Beaulieu, Drogheda Dublin Dublin Not Recorded Not Recorded Adams James Stapleton Place, Dundalk Not Recorded Not Recorded Not Recorded Not Recorded Alexander David St. Nicholas Inst., Dundalk (South Belfast) (Saint Anne's) (City Hall) Not recorded Anderson Robert Mountpleasant, Dundalk North Louth Ballymascanlan Ballymascanlan Parish Church Not recorded Anderson? J. Born Co. Louth - Colin?; {about 20 years resident in Ulster (Belfast); & 5 Broad Park Avenue, Ilfracombe} (Barnstaple, England) (West) (Exeter, Barnstaple, Ilfracombe, Torquay) Smith, J.A. Armstrong J. H. 21 Castle Road, Dundalk (& 13 Little Brunswick St., Belfast) North Louth Dundalk Dundalk (LOL 1617) Not recorded Benson Willie Tully, Louth (Co. Louth?) South Fermanagh Lisnaskea Parochial Hall, Lisnaskea Thomas Beresford Bloomer Richard Ballymascanlan, Dundalk North Louth Ballymascanlan Ballymascanlan Parish Church Not recorded Bothwell? Emma Stapleton Place, Dundalk East Belfast Strandtown Strandtown Hall and Belmont (Presbyterian) Church John E. S. Edwards Bradley Samuel Corbollis, Ardee North Louth Dundalk Dundalk (LOL 1617) Not recorded Bradley William Castletown Rd, Dundalk (& Erin Terrace, Belfast) North Louth Dundalk Dundalk (LOL 1617) Not recorded Brogden? Thos. Wm. Edwin Drogheda (South Belfast?) (Saint Anne's) (City Hall) Not recorded Carlisle Robert Dublin St., Dundalk East Down Killough Killough Hugh Finlay Clarke Arthur Hayenstown, Dundalk Not Recorded Not Recorded Not Recorded Not Recorded Colville M. Stapleton Pl., Dundalk North Louth Dundalk Dundalk (LOL 1617) Not recorded Coyne W. J. Castle Rd., Dundalk North Louth Dundalk Dundalk (LOL 1617) Not recorded Cruden Catherine Boyne Terrace, Drogheda Belfast (South Belfast) (Saint Anne's) Old Town Hall (City Hall) Not recorded Cunningham A. G. 48 Broughton St, Dundalk North Louth Dundalk Dundalk (LOL 1617) Not recorded Dalzell Andrew Drogheda Mid. Armagh Keady ? Keady ? W. J. Greer Davidson Henry C. 32 Clanbrassil St., Dundalk (South Belfast) (Saint Anne's) (City Hall) Not recorded Dobbin Rhoda M. E. Drummalla House, Omeath (South Belfast) (Saint Anne's) (City Hall) Not recorded Donnan H. H. 14 Wellington Place, Dundalk North Louth Dundalk Dundalk (LOL 1617) Not recorded Doran William Wellington Place, Dundalk (& Castlecaulfield, Co. Tyrone) Dundalk (or South Belfast?) (Saint Anne's?) (City Hall) Not recorded Fegan Wm Shamerock Bar, Dundalk (South Belfast) (Saint Anne's) (City Hall) Not recorded Fitzgerald Augustine Ravensdale, Co Louth North Louth Ballymascanlan Ballymascanlan Parish Church Not recorded Ford A. Lockett (? Canon of St. Patricks) The Rectory, Ardee Not recorded Not recorded Not recorded Not recorded French Cissie Rathgeenan, Ardee South Monaghan Castleblaney Homes about Carrickmacross Mrs Brownlow French Jane Rathgeenan, Ardee South Monaghan Castleblaney Homes about Carrickmacross Mrs Brownlow French John Rathgeenan, Ardee South Monaghan Castleblaney Carrickmacross Homes Mrs Brownlow Gilbert Jeanie M. Seatown Place, Dundalk (South Belfast) (Saint Anne's) (Broadway Presbyterian Church) Mrs Henry Gray Marget Ravensdale, Dundalk Newry & South Down Newry Orange Hall, Newry Melvin Orr Gray Richard Ravensdale, Dundalk Newry & South Down Newry Orange Hall, Newry William Orr Grey John R. Mountpleasant, Co Louth North Louth Ballymascanlan Ballymascanlan Parish Church Not recorded Grey John Wm. Mountpleasant, Co Louth North Louth Ballymascanlan Ballymascanlan Parish Church Not recorded Guilfoyle Robert W. Lisnawillie, Dundalk (South Belfast) (Saint Anne's) (City Hall) T. H. Witherow BA Hanna Eva F. Crossmaglen, Dundalk Mid. Armagh Armaghbrague Armaghbrague Pres. Church George Kane Hanna Louise S. Crossmaglen, Dundalk Mid. Armagh Armaghbrague Armaghbrague Pres. Church George Kane Hanna Margaret Crossmaglen, Dundalk Mid. Armagh Armaghbrague Armaghbrague res. Church George Kane Hanna Oswald J L Crossmaglen, Dundalk South Armagh Newtownhamilton Newtownhamilton (The Lecture Hall?) Mr. Alan Ardis Hanna W S Crossmaglen, Dundalk South Armagh Newtownhamilton Newtownhamilton (The Lecture Hall?) Mr. Alan Ardis Harbron Mary Louisa Railway Cottage Drogheda Mid. Tyrone Omagh Unionist Rooms P. Cruickshank Hart John Bellurgan, Ballymascanlon North Louth Ballymascanlan Ballymascanlan Parish Church Not recorded Harvey James Boyd Long Avenue, Dundalk North Monaghan Monaghan Monaghan Forster Dunwoody Henry John Seatown, Dundalk