Croker Papers, 1798-1858

Reference code: IE LA P8 

Extent: 15 Items

Scope & Content

The collection is divided into two sections. The first section relates to John Corker of Ballyneguard, CountyLimerick. The second section relates to Thomas Crofton Croker. 

Crokers of Ballyneguarde Limerick- Account book (1807-1815);

Thomas Crofton Croker Material Relating to Fairy Legends and Traditions (1798-1858), Letters and Printed Material (1800-1857).

Subjects

Crokers of Ballyneguard, Thomas Crofton Croker

Creator(s)

Crokers of Ballyneguard, Thomas Crofton Croker

Biographical / Historical Note

The Croker Papers relate to the Croker family of Ballyneguard, County Limerick, and to Thomas Crofton Croker (1798-1858), the noted writer and folklorist.

John Croker of Ballynauguarde and Raleighstown was born 4 October 1784, one year after the marriage of his parents Edward Croker and Margaret Anne Hare (m 1783). He married Catherine Adeline Bagwell, the youngest daughter of Colonel John Bagwell, MP of Marlfield, county Tipperary .  He later became a J.P, then High Sheriff in 1832 and died on 3 March 1858. He started his account book two months after his marriage. Examining the entries helps paint a vivid picture of his lifestyle, that of his family and of economic conditions in Ireland during the period. These deeds can be used to use to construct the Croker family tree, research local history and ownership of land in the Ballyneguarde area and also to research old boundaries and place names.

Thomas Crofton Croker, was born in Cork in 1798. He was a descendent of the Elizabethan English settlers of Cork and the son of a British army officer. He left Ireland at the age of 28 and in 1850 retired from his position as a senior clerk of the first class of the Admiralty of London. Croker then set out to collect and publish the text of folktales. The material relating to Thomas Crofton Croker was contained in a folder titled ‘Crokerania’. It is organised into two sections. The first section contains miscellaneous material relating to the publication of Fairy Legends of the South of Ireland, Croker’s most well known work. The first series of Fairy Legends of the South of Ireland was published anonymously in 1825. The international nature of Croker’s stories attracted the Brothers Grimm, whose translation of his work appeared within a year of the publication of the first edition in 1825. A French translation followed, and when in 1828 Croker’s second series of Irish legends arrived, it came in company with a third volume containing Welsh legends and a lengthy essay by William Grimm analysing the Irish tales and setting them into a broad European context. The next section consists of letters, which are arranged chronologically. Of particular interest is a letter received from T.C. Croften from M. J Williams containing notes relating to Devonshire fairy tales. The final section consists of printed material relating to literary and folklore matters.      

Administrative Information

Access Restrictions: N.A. 

Use Restrictions: N.A. 

Related Materials: N.A.