Robert Traill (Irish clergyman): Difference between revisions
No edit summary |
|||
| Line 31: | Line 31: | ||
}} |
}} |
||
'''Robert Traill''' (1793–1847) was a [[Calvinist]] [[Church of Ireland]] clergyman. He was [[Rector (ecclesiastical)|rector]] of [[Schull]], [[County Cork]] from 1832 until his death and part-owned a copper mine in the area. Traill complained of losing tithes from the Roman Catholic population due to the 1830s [[Tithe War]] but was recognised for his compassion during the [[Great Famine (Ireland)|Great Famine in Ireland]] from 1846. He was depicted in an ''[[Illustrated London News]]'' article of the time and was the subject of a letter published in several newspapers. He died of |
'''Robert Traill''' (1793–1847) was a [[Calvinist]] [[Church of Ireland]] clergyman. He was [[Rector (ecclesiastical)|rector]] of [[Schull]], [[County Cork]] from 1832 until his death and part-owned a copper mine in the area. Traill complained of losing tithes from the Roman Catholic population due to the 1830s [[Tithe War]] but was recognised for his compassion during the [[Great Famine (Ireland)|Great Famine in Ireland]] from 1846. He was depicted in an ''[[Illustrated London News]]'' article of the time and was the subject of a letter published in several newspapers. He died of [[Typhus]] in 1847. |
||
== Early career == |
== Early career == |
||
Revision as of 12:25, 26 October 2017
The Reverend Doctor Robert Traill | |
|---|---|
| Rector of Schull | |
 Mahoney's sketch of Traill visiting a dying man's home in 1847 | |
| Church | Church of Ireland |
| Diocese | Cork, Cloyne and Ross |
| In office | 1832–1847 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Robert Traill 1793 |
| Died | 1847 (aged 53 or 54) Schull, County Cork |
Robert Traill (1793–1847) was a Calvinist Church of Ireland clergyman. He was rector of Schull, County Cork from 1832 until his death and part-owned a copper mine in the area. Traill complained of losing tithes from the Roman Catholic population due to the 1830s Tithe War but was recognised for his compassion during the Great Famine in Ireland from 1846. He was depicted in an Illustrated London News article of the time and was the subject of a letter published in several newspapers. He died of Typhus in 1847.
Early career
Traill was born in Lisburn, County Antrim. He achieved the degree of Doctor of Divinity and afterwards was appointed the rector of Schull, County Cork in 1832.[1] He came into conflict with the local people for his religious fervour, being a renowned campaigner for the protestant religion.[1][2] Traill is known to have translated some of the manuscripts of Josephus, the first-century Jewish writer into English.[1] Traill is said to have discovered copper at the Dhurode mine on Mizen Head which first operated between 1844 and 1846. He was a major shareholder in the mine and one of its six shafts was named after him.[1][3] Traill was involved in the Tithe War where many Catholics refused to pay tithes to the protestant Church of England, a fellow clergymen was killed within 30 miles of Schull and Traill lamented that "the ungodly are rising up, and these poor deluded Roman Catholics are caballing to deprive me of my tithes, alas! What wickedness is this?".[4]
Great famine
At the outbreak of the Great Famine in 1846 Traill believed that the storage of potatoes in pits would save them from the blight and worked on constructing these from October 1846. However he realised this would not be successful and by December was trying, in vain, to persuade the local landlords to let their tenants keep some grain so that they weren't forced to eat their seed potatoes.[5] Traill established a relief committee for his parish and wrote widely to persuade people to subscribe to it. He was shown in the Illustrated London News visiting a dying man and his family, having been sketched by James Mahoney who said of Traill that "his humanity at the present moment is beyond praise".[2]
Traill established a soup kitchen at his home to provide for the needy and wrote that "my house is more like a beleaguered fortress. Ere the day has dawned the crowds are already gathering. My family one and all are perfect slaves worn out with attending them; for I would not wish, were it possible, that one starving creature would leave my door without some-thing to allay the cravings of hunger".[1] In February 1847 he showed Commander James Crawford Caffin of the HMS Scourge some of those in the parish affected by the famine. Caffin wrote to a friend that "In no house that I entered was there not to be found the dead or dying ... never in my life have I seen such wholesale misery, nor could I have thought it so complete." Caffin's letter was published in various newspapers, an act which brought some relief efforts from the British Government to Schull. However by March this appeared to have ended when Traill stated "the distress was nothing in Captain Caffin's time compared with what it is now".[6] Traill is said to have spent most of his income on relief for the needy.[7]
Death and legacy
He died of "Famine Fever" (typhus) in 1847. He left a large family including two sons – 3-year-old Robert Walter and baby Edmund. The family moved to Dublin where Robert studied civil engineering and Edmund medicine at Trinity College before they abandoned their studies to become ranchers in Argentina. Robert Walter Traill's son was Johnny Traill, the noted polo player.[8] Another of Robert Traill's grandsons was John Millington Synge, the playwright.[1] His great-great-great granddaughter is TV producer and writer Daisy Goodwin. Goodwin wrote Traill into an episode of ITV's Victoria which told the story of the Great Famine. Traill was played by Martin Compston in the episode of the drama's second series which was shown in 2017.[9]
References
- ^ a b c d e f Newman, Kate. "Robert Traill". Dictionary of Ulster Biography. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
- ^ a b Coogan, Tim Pat (2012). The Famine Plot: England's Role in Ireland's Greatest Tragedy. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 9781137045171.
- ^ "Dhurode Mine (Carrigacat Mine), Mizen Peninsula, Co. Cork, Ireland". Mineralogy Database. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
- ^ MacKay, Donald (2009). Flight from Famine: The Coming of the Irish to Canada. Dundurn. p. 132. ISBN 9781770705067.
- ^ Coogan, Tim Pat (2012). The Famine Plot: England's Role in Ireland's Greatest Tragedy. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 9781137045171.
- ^ "The History of the Great Irish Famine of 1847 (3rd ed.) (1902) by O'Rourke". Project Gutenburg. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
- ^ Laffaye, Horace A. (2015). Profiles in Polo: The Players Who Changed the Game. McFarland. p. 54. ISBN 9781476662732.
- ^ Laffaye, Horace A. (2015). Profiles in Polo: The Players Who Changed the Game. McFarland. p. 55. ISBN 9781476662732.
- ^ Saunders, Tristram Fane (2 October 2017). "Victoria: what is the truth about the Irish Famine, and who was Robert Traill?". The Telegraph. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
