TIME RUNNING OUT FOR HISTORICAL WESTPORT HOUSE DOCUMENTS
Papers of national importance everybody's concern but nobody's problem.
By LYNN GLANVILLE
Historical documents of major national and local importance are in danger of being lost for ever. The documents are located at Westport House Estate. Over the past 25 to 30 years the matter of their preservation has been raised the the Government and various state bodies. More recently a submission was made to the National Heritage Council (now called the National Statutory Body). The Westport House documents number over 14,000. They are generally regarded by historians and archivists to be of national importance. They are of even greater significance to the West of Ireland where such documents are practically non-existant.
One of the oldest of the papers dates from 1581. It relates to Richard Bourke who was the husband of Grace O'Malley. There are also a large number of 16th, 17th, 18th, and 19th century papers.
The documents have always been in Westport House and are kept in bundles and boxes. They comprise the most important collection in Connaught and are probably the most important items at Westport House, Lord Altamount said.
The papers are of particular significance to this county as they provide a detailed social and general history of Mayo. Almost all of these type of documents relating to the county have been lost.
Lord Altamount pointed out that the problem with documents such as these is that they are made of parchment or paper. These materials can deteriorate if not properly taken care of. The family has managed to prevent mice, damp and rot from eating away at the papers for the last 25 years. Their future has been raised with various government bodies and it has been widely accepted that they are of national importance. The question is what to do with them now.
The people of Westport House have looked into obtaining EU support and the possibility of setting up an interpretive centre around the documents. They got quite far in negotiations with Bord Fáilte but arrangements collapsed at the 11th hour due to legalities. If the tourism authority had become involved a committee would have been set up. Members of the committee would have had access to the documents at any time. Lord Altamount felt that he could not do this to either himself or his inheritors. He said that many individuals who wanted to set up a private enterprise experienced major problems with red tape. There were too many rules and regulations which made it impossible for them to operate.e.
NO PARTICULAR CATEGORY
Lord Altamount said that one of the reasons for the delay of almost 30 years in getting the matter resolved was that historical documents do not fit easily or readily into a particular category.- "Other products such as hotels or industry slot easily into categories. No-one knows what to do with historical documents, though it is accepted that they are of great importance."
The problem is becoming more urgent with the passing of time.
- "Historical papers are not like buildings or mountains or ancient walls. One can go on discussing their future for years and they will still be there. "But what these documents require urgently are proper structures to preserve them and preferable to show them off so that the public can benefit from them,"
The documents need to be stored where there is proper heat and light. The structures need to be put in place to contain and look after them. They should be filed properly.
Lord Altamount said that letters arrive at Westport House every day from people interested in Mayo and the house. To deal with these enquiries an appropriate and trustworthy person is needed.
HUGE RANGE
There is an enormous range of documents in the collection. Some are letters from as early as 1541. They were inherited through Lord Altamount's own ancestors - the O'Malleys, Bourkes and Browns. A lot of the papers were written during the lifetime of Grace O'Malley. There are not many documents remaining from her time. There are signed letters from Patrick Sarsfield from around the time of the Seige of Limerick at the end of the 17th century. Sarsfield was a good friend of John Brown.Also in the collection are the account books of John Brown who owned ironworks around Knappagh and Westport. There are also a lot of papers to do with the Famine. International contributors include the Duke of Wellington, Prince Murat (Napolean's cavelery general), Napolean's wife and Gladstone. There are literary connections with Arthur Young, George Birmingham and Thakery. Letters from people, signed and in their own hand, are of huge significance.
ALL AVENUES EXHAUSTED
The cost of putting structures in place for the documents was £250,000. This was the estimation two years ago when negotiations were taking place with Bord Fáilte.At that time Bord Fáilte were to provide 50% of the cost through the EU and the balance would have to be found elsewhere. At the moment Lord Altamount seems to have run out of options. "We at Westport House have overcome many obstacles in the past. We have undertaken many projects which have come to fruition in the long run. But we don't seem to be able to get around this.
- "We have written to just about every T.D. and official and generally speaking there has been an enormous reaction to doing something about these historical documents. The difficulty has been to find a way of doing it. "We are getting more and more worried because of the perishability of these records."
- "We look after them the best way we can but it is not satisfactory. If something is not done soon some of them will not survive."
Connaught Telegraph - News - February 1996
Connaught Telegraph - Sport - February 1996
