Wednesday, May 14th, 2025

Danny Dowling (1927-2021) poured over old newspapers collecting information regarding Glenmore or her people. Often he also copied articles of nearby villages or towns and sometimes he just copied articles he found interesting or humorous. Last week we came across a file with just two 1771 newspaper articles. Both of these articles appeared in Ramsey’s Waterford Chronical and are interesting and humorous.

Mourning Periods for Widows Before Remarriage

The first article appeared in the 3 May 1771 edition and indirectly queried the mourning period of a widow before remarrying. Due to the detail provided in the short article it appears that 48 hours was not considered a respectable mourning period for the new widow to wait before remarriage.

“Married last Tuesday in St. Patrick’s Church, by the Rev. Mr. Moore, Mr. Collins and the Widow Roach. (Mr. Luke Roach, her first husband died suddenly in Carrick last Sunday, as mentioned in our last) and was just interred when she was joined in wedlock to her present husband.“

In the Victorian era (1837-1901) widows were expected to wear black clothing and observe a period of mourning of at least one year. For further information see, WeChronical webpage, “Exploring Victorian Social Expectations for Widows: Mourning Periods and Remarriage.”                                      

May-December Marriage

This second short article highlights a 50 year age difference between the bride and groom. It was published 26 July 1771. The wedding below took place at Milltown, Co. Kilkenny. There are several Milltown townlands in Kilkenny, but the names Kavanagh and Culbert are not common in what was to become the Parish of Glenmore in the 1840’s. Therefore, it is not likely that the Milltown mentioned in the article is Milltown, Glenmore.

“Married a few days ago at Milltown, County of Kilkenny, Mr. Hugh Kavanagh, aged 66 to the agreeable Miss Culbert, aged 16.”

It goes without saying that if Miss Culbert was not agreeable there would have been no marriage between the parties. Today, May-December marriages still are commented on in the press particularly if one of the parties is a celebrity. For a 19th century perspective on these type of marriages, see Mimi Mathews, “The Perils of May-December Marriages in the Nineteenth Century,” which contains excerpts and commentary regarding The Midwife’s Guide (1840), a widely read sex manual in 19^th century England, and also containing a discussion of May-December marriages.

Please send any corrections or additional information to glenmore.history@gmail.com .

We just updated our last post regarding Bridie Doolan’s Tiny Shop with a 1905 post card which we believe depicts a cottage that stood between where the shop was built and the creamery.

Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh