Category Archives: Places

Widowhood

Mary McArthur was in her early thirties when widowed. Her husband left her and their children well provided for when her died. Unlike her sister Charlotte, who was also widowed early in her marriage, Mary never remarried. She may have found herself alone with two children under three, but her mother was still alive and her sisters still lived locally providing company and solace.

Modern day Rathmines. The McArthurs lived there at the time of Richard's death.

Modern day Rathmines. The McArthurs lived there at the time of Richard’s death.

Mary McArthur lived in Rathmines for some time after her husband’s death, but seemed to live a few different addresses around Dublin before emigrating to England. There are records of her living at Merrion Ave and Cullenswood in the 1830’s when Richard Jr. and Emily were growing up.

The family moved to England when Richard completed his education at Trinity College, Dublin, from where he graduated in 1849. Richard was ordained a priest at Ripon, Yorkshire in 1850 this is reflected in the 1851 census stating the McArthur’s as living in the village of Burton Leonard, near Ripon.

The chapel in Trinity College where Richard Lyons McArthur (Emily's uncle) attended in 1840's

The chapel in Trinity College where Richard Lyons McArthur (Emily’s uncle) attended in 1840’s

Sources
Deputy Keeper of Ireland, Index to the Act or Grant Books, and to Original Wills, of the Diocese of Dublin 1272-1858 (26th, 30th and 31st Reports, 1894, 1899)
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~genmaps/genfiles/COU_Pages/ENG_pages/Wor.htm
http://search.findmypast.ie/results/united-kingdom-records-in-census-land-and-substitutes
 Emily uncle ordained. York Herald 28 December 1850. P 6

Richard, Mary & family

After their marriage in 1825 Richard and Mary McArthur settled in the Cullenswood area, which encompassed modern day Rathmines. A year later their first child was born, a son, who they named Richard Lyons.

Richard was still involved in the book trade when Richard Jr. was born, but a year later he mysteriously left the Dublin book trade. His quick exit was noted:

“Hodges teamed up with one McArthur until 1827, when McArthur vanishes and the firm becomes Hodges and Smith.”

 

He returned home to Ardglass, Co. Down where his second child Emily, Emily’s mother was born. Nearby Belfast had a burgeoning book trade at that time too so it is possible that the family hoped to settle there. It is unclear how long they stayed in Co. Down. The next reference to Richard McArthur is on April 1st 1829, which sadly was his death announcement in the newspapers.

It was apparent that he had some health problems and that he had returned to Dublin hoping for a cure, but that was not to be.

Richard McArthur's Death notice in the Drogheada Herald

Richard McArthur’s Death notice in the Drogheda Journal 01 April 1829

Richard McArthur was originally buried in St. Peter’s Graveyard of St. Peter’s Church, Aungier Street, Dublin, the same church he was married in only a few years before. In early Eighties the church was demolished. He along with others were re-interred in St. Werburg’s Churchyard near making the city centre church his final resting place.

St Werbergs Churchyard, the final resting place of Ricard McArthur

St Werbergs Churchyard, the final resting place of Richard McArthur. Photo by Larry O’Neill 2015

Thanks to
Denise, Church warden at St Werburg’s
Larry O’Neill for his photos of St. Werburg’s
 Sources
www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/archive/1961/1219/Pg008.html#Ar00809. The Irish Times – Tuesday, December 19, 1961 – Page 8
Drogheda Journal, or Meath & Louth Advertiser on 01 April 1829

 

Richard McArthur (Grandfather) 2

Emily's grandfather's business Card of. Courtesy of the National Library of Ireland

Emily’s grandfather’s business Card of. Courtesy of the National Library of Ireland

In 1817, Gilbert was now an elderly man and the partnership between Gilbert & Hodges was dissolved. Emily’s grandfather Richard a loyal employee entered the partnership in place of Gilbert and the business became Hodges & McArthur. By now Richard McArthur had began traveling afar sourcing books for a faithful client, Lord Mountbellew, whose large estate was in  Co Galway. From their correspondence, it is plain to see that they had good business relationship, which seemed to stem from their mutual love and appreciation of books. So much so that on his “honeymoon” in Paris and London of 1825, Richard McArthur still had time to source and send on a shipment of books to the Lord.

At the time Richard McArthur traveled between Dublin and France it was easy to buy entire libraries once owned by the fallen French aristocracy quite cheaply, and he may have made a good living by doing so.

Letter from Richard McArthur to Lord Mountbellew about a book buying trip to London and Paris. Courtesy of National Library of Ireland.

Letter from Richard McArthur to Lord Mountbellew about a book buying trip to London and Paris. Courtesy of National Library of Ireland.

Sources
Hodges and McArthur (booksellers), and Christopher Dillon Bellew. Receipts Etc From Hodges and McArthur, Booksellers of Dublin to Christopher Dillon Bellew.
 A Dictionary of Members of the Dublin Book Trade 1550-1800 By Mary Pollard, Bibliographical Society (Great Britain, p 248-50

Mary and Richard

The following entry appeared in the church records of St. Peter’s Church of Ireland, Aungier Street, Dublin:


Marriage of RICHARD MCARTHUR of CULLENSWOOD, DUBLIN and MARY GRACE BERRY [Graisberry] of BATCHELORS WALK on 4 August 1825

Marriage Announcement

Marriage Announcement

Mary was in her late twenties at the time and Richard was somewhat older than her. The marriage was most likely a match, however they may have known one another too. Richard was one half of the partnership Hodges & McArthur Booksellers of 21 College Green for some years. Mary’s family printed the books for Trinity College across the street, so it more than likely that their paths crossed a long time before.

 

Sources
http://churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/
Dublin Evening Post 04 August 1825. P 3

 

 

 

 

 

The Graisberry Girls: Mary II

Emily’s grandmother Mary was born about 1797/8 in Dublin. She was most likely, the eldest child of Ruth and Daniel Graisberry. Mary grew up in the printing industry where it was not uncommon for the whole family to be involved in the running of their business. Each generation of the Graisberry women either by design on necessity ended up working as printers.

The oldest building and trees in TCD. They were there when the Graisberry's were the official printers to the college

The oldest building and trees in TCD. They were there when the Graisberry’s were the official printers to the college

When her father died in 1822 Mary and her sisters probably helped their mother keep the business going. It was not uncommon back then for women to take over the busines, when their male relatives died. In the Graisberrys time a high percentage of women were registered in the print industry trade journals. 66.6 per cent of these were widows of printer/bookbinder/bookseller husbands. The main reason for this was  financial, as was in the case of Ruth Graisberry who pleaded poverty in her petition to Trinity College. Her daughters  may have been well skilled in the folding and sewing of pages, but Ruth was as good as anyone in the industry.

Despite her protestations of poverty Ruth Graisberry was, in fact, together with Harriet Colbert and Anne Watson, among the biggest master printers and booksellers in early nineteenth-century Dublin.

As is was common for widows to take over from their husbands so was it for the girls of the industry to marry the apprentices of the print, binding and publishing trades.

From the 1800’s into the mid-20th century, a set number of apprenticeships were always reserved for printer’s sons. Many of them married female workers and this led to the growth of print families or dynasties within the print, publishing and bindery trades.

It was through the book industry that Emily’s grandmother Mary Graisberry met and/or was matched with Richard McArthur, bookseller from Ardglass Co. Down.

Take a tour of Trinity College Dublin, where the Graisberry’s were the official printiers:
https://www.tcd.ie/Library/bookofkells/trinity-tours/
Thanks to:
Irish Print Museum
Sources
Irish Booklore: A Galley of Pie: Women in the Irish Book Trades Author(s): Vincent Kinane Source: The Linen Hall Review, Vol. 8, No. 4 (Winter, 1991), pp. 10-13 Published by: Linen Hall Library. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20534214
Dictionary of Irish Biography 9 Volume Set: From the Earliest Times to the Year 2002. Cambridge University Press 2009,James McGuire and James Quinn. Turlough O’Riordan. Vol 3 P 192