John Tate's Charity - exploring an unusual archival collection

This presentation will explore one of Wicklow County Archives' more unusual collections, John Tate's Charity. John Tate, from Rathdrum in County Wicklow, was a well-to-do landowner in the late 18th century. He inherited land on long-leases from his father and, over his short lifetime, had extended his holdings to just under 3,000 acres in the surrounding areas. While not a member of the Protestant Ascendancy, he was well connected to them and a committed member of the local Anglican church. He died young, at the age of 33, and in his will, left his interest in 895 acres at Cullentragh, as the basis of a charity to provide support to the needy in his local area.

While this collection is hugely important to the local history of County Wicklow, it is also of national historical significance as a fine example of the philanthropic activities of the landed gentry in Ireland in the 18th and 19th centuries. This class are well represented in local authority archive collections both in private collections and records of former local authorities, namely Boards of Guardians and Grand Juries. However, the records of John Tate's Charity also offer an insight into the lives and needs of the poor in Wicklow and work of those running the charity. The Charity is still active today.