Rev Patrick White and his opposition to a landlord’s greed
In this week's Times Past Column, Jonathan Smyth looks at a Bailieborough man of the cloth who took on a landlord...
For good reason, the Rev Patrick White was one of the most well-liked ministers to serve the Presbyterian congregation at Corglass, which is just a couple of miles from Bailieborough town. The churchgoers held him in such great esteem, that they decided to nominate his son to take his place after he died and, following his son’s eventual move to another parish, they chose yet another of the White family as their pastor. When Patrick Snr first began at Corglass he had a battle on his hands to save the Manse farm from the greedy grasp of a new landlord.
Birth and family
Patrick was the son of a ruling elder of the congregation at Corglass, born at Pottle, Bailieborough on St Patrick’s Day 1785, the son of William White. It is supposed that the child got his name from Patrick Smith, an agent of a local property owner who was a close friend of his father, and not the patron saint. As a student Patrick took a masters degree at Glasgow University where his contemporaries included Henry Cooke and Robert Stewart, who were known as great promoters of ‘evangelical truth and Presbyterian principle’.
White’s ordination as minister of Corglass church occurred on August 28, 1810, seeing him placed in charge of an area with 2,000 souls under his care. White was said to have been the first Cavan native appointed with a licence to preach by the ‘authorities of the Synod of Ulster’.
Breaking good
White had hardly settled into Corglass when an unexpected problem arose for the young minister that would drag him into a difficult lawsuit in order to protect the Church’s rights to the Manse Farm. In the early 18th century, a native of Scotland and Presbyterian named Mr Hamilton, had given the townland of Corglass at annual rent to be used by the congregation. However, time passed and, after Hamilton’s day, the lease fell by the wayside and no more rent was paid.
In 1818, Colonel Young, Bailieborough’s new big-cheese landed, having bought the Bailieborough estate, and life looked as though it was about to change at Corglass when he decided to tie up loose ends and take control of the land bordering his estate. Young, perhaps believing himself to be generous, offered White half of the Corglass farm at a low rent and the minister was told that, if he did not comply, he was to be thrown out on his ear by decree of an ‘ejectment order’.
The Rev Mr White was evidently furious over the new landlord’s methods, and therefore he set out on a course of action, extreme some might say, to correct the situation that had been thrown to him. With great courage, White fought in the courts for the congregation’s right to keep the land. This came at a high price and the financial cost to White was great, having paid the bulk of the cost out of his own pocket.
Patrick White was not particularly wealthy, and it must have horrified him when his legal bill amounted to almost £600, including interest. Thankfully, he did receive some small help towards the costs from the General Synod and the congregation, although this fell far short of what he was left to pay himself.
Probably around 1815, Patrick married Jane Moore the daughter of Rev William Moore and Anne Charlton Moore of Breakey. The Whites had 10 children who were Rev Thomas Robert White, Verner Moore White, Rev James White, Elizabeth White, William White, Rev Patrick Herbert White, Anne Jane White and Ellen Bevan White.
1859 Revival
In 1859, a Christian revival that began in Co Antrim had swept across Ulster and then spread to Scotland, Wales and Britain with huge numbers of converts, and others returning to both Presbyterian and other protestant denominations. Ministers called it the year of grace, while some other ministers referred to it as a year of delusion.
Warren Porter’s book, ‘In Old Corglass: an outline of 250 years in First Bailieborough Presbyterian Church’, states that, ‘the greatest of privileges was granted’ to Rev White ‘in the eventide of his life when he was permitted to see the fruit of his labour in the abundance of the ‘59 revival. The joy of the venerable pastor in seeing the workings of the Spirit among his own flock knew no bounds and the high-water mark was surely reached on that first Sabbath in October 1859, when 400 communicants sat down to the Lord’s Table for the first time. Porter guesses that this was possibly the largest Communion service ever held in a Presbyterian Church in County Cavan.
In the following year, White marked his jubilee year as an ordained minister who had served the congregation in Corglass for 50 years.
Respect for him was enormous and he was presented with an address, a selection of ‘handsomely bound books’ and a purse containing 100 sovereigns.
Two years later in 1862, the Rev Patrick White went to his eternal rest and was followed one week later by his wife.
Next Generation
Like the TV show Star Trek, there was a next generation, and some of the younger Whites followed their father’s footsteps into ordained ministry.
When it came to finding a new man for the job at Corglass, the congregation suggested the Rev Patrick White Jnr who was then the Minister at Donoughmore.
The new Rev White was placed in charge of Corglass on March 13, 1863, and a further 12 happy years followed until he got itchy feet and moved to a new church in Liverpool City.
However, the people at Corglass were still keen on the Whites and another son of Patrick Snr, the Rev T.R. White, Minister of Athy, Co Kildare, removed himself to Corglass, where he took up ministry on February 14, 1874. T.R., otherwise Thomas Robert, would be the last of the Whites to serve Corglass church. He retired in 1906.
For further reading, I recommend Leslie McKeague’s interesting book, ‘First Bailieborough Presbyterian Church (Corglass): 300 Years of Worship (1714-2014)’, and ‘In Old Corglass: an outline of 250 years in First Bailieborough Presbyterian Church’ by Warren Porter.
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