Archives | Cartlann Chill Dara
County Kildare Grand Jury
Identity Statement
Repository Code: IE 2036
Archive Reference: KCA/GJ
Title: County Kildare Grand Jury
Creation Dates: 1809-1893
Extent Medium: 33 items
Context
Administrative History: Grand Juries were the earliest form of local government in Ireland, dating from medieval times when their main function was the administration of justice. Grand Jurors, who were appointed by the Sheriff, were usually local landowners. They were initially concerned with the administration of justice. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries it took on more functions such as the provision of roads and public buildings, and the running and maintaining of dispensaries, courts, fever hospitals, the county infirmary, and the county gaol. The Grand Jury was empowered to levy a tax in the county (local Cess: tax or rate) and met at Spring and Summer Assizes where presentments (works) were passed. Corrupt practices among grand juries were widespread in the nineteenth century and the creation of the office of the county surveyor in 1817 brought some degree of control into the order of making presentments. The Grand Jury collected a tax called the county cess. The Valuation Acts of 1826 and 1852 made the valuation more equitable and from 1833 ratepayers were represented at the baronial presentment sessions. It met twice yearly at the Spring and Summer Assizes for the purpose of passing presentments of proposed and approved works which were effectively financed by the cess payer. The post of the county surveyor was first created in the nineteenth century, and he also reported to the assizes. However, corrupt practices amongst the grand juries were widespread, and in 1899 their powers and duties were transferred primarily to democratically elected county councils, as well as to rural district councils under the Local Government (Ireland) Act of 1898. The records of the County Kildare Grand Jury is the earliest local authority archival collection for Co. Kildare.
Content and Structure
Scope & Content: The Abstracts of Presentments (GJ/P/1-23) relate to proposals for works put before presentment sessions at the Spring and Summer assizes and the resulting contracts and payments. They hold a wealth of information, including names, salaries and work of individuals in the employment of the grand jury. Examples of entries include works on roads and bridges, the payment of constabulary and upkeep of dispensaries, fever hospitals and the county gaol. Names and salaries of officials such as the county surveyor or the surgeon at the county infirmary are also shown. Another valuable aspect of these records are the references to landmarks, such as bridges, turnpikes, residences and roads. As well as this detailed information, the general policies, approaches and responsibilities of the Grand Jury in 19th century Ireland are also illuminated. The Treasurer's Query books (GJ/T/1-7) contain lists of respited queries and accounts. These are printed volumes with some annotations. There is also a volume published in 1837 which lays out a County Book model for county treasurers using sample data from various counties from 1835 including County Kildare (GJ/T/7). The County Surveyor's notebooks (GJ/CS/1-3) contain printed schedules of public works containing itineraries, travelling notes, calculations, and other annotations of the surveyor (GJ/CS/1) contains internal measurements of Naas Courthouse.
Arrangement: Manuscript and printed bound volumes are arranged chronologically.
Conditions of Access and Use
Access Conditions: Full Access
Conditions Governing Reproduction: Permission from archivist required.
Creation Dates: 1809-1893
Extent Medium: 33 volumes
Material Language: English
Allied Materials
Copies Information: The surviving Grand Jury Abstracts of Presentments and Query Books can be viewed here. The digitised printed books have had Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software applied to facilitate text searching. The volume covering the years 1810-1826 is handwritten so OCR cannot be applied. Due to the age and condition of the documents the OCR process is not fully accurate. Please also note that spelling of words may vary from modern usage. The aims of digitising the Grand Jury material are to improve public access, to facilitate research and to serve as an additional preservation copy. The County Archives acknowledges the support of the County Kildare Decade of Commemorations Committee and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport, and Media under the Decade of Centenaries 2012-23 initiative which provided funding to conserve the 1810-1826 volume.
Publications: Gentlemen of County Kildare, Spring Assizes, 1772 (G. Faulkner's Journal for 9 February 1778), County Kildare Archaeological Society Journal, Vol. XII No. 2, p. 105 (a list of names and addresses).
The Grand Jury panel for County Kildare in 1808, County Kildare Archaeological Society Journal, Vol. XII No. 3, pp. 128-130 (a list of names and addresses).
A map of the baronies of Co. Kildare can be found here.
Further information on the history, operation and archives of the Grand Juries of Ireland can be found in this publication: https://virtualtreasury.ie/backend/flipbooking/the-grand-jury-system-in-Ireland-02/