Thursday, May 29th, 2025

One of our readers, Mick Breen, bought three post cards depicting Glenmore. These post cards were post marked March-May 1905. He also shared two post cards of New Ross that the same sender sent to the same receiver in early June 1905.

The Glenmore post cards are not professional post cards. In the early part of the 20th century photographers, who did not possess the equipment to develop their film, took their film to a pharmacy or chemist to have their film developed. Photographers could have their developed photos placed on regular photographic paper or they could have them placed on post cards. Post cards were an economical method of sending photos as there was no need for an envelope and the postage was much less then sending a letter containing photos. The two New Ross post cards are professional post cards.

Below there are three Glenmore post cards postmarked 22 March 1905; 8 April 1905 and 22 May 1905. The two New Ross post cards are both postmarked 8 June 1905.

Who Was the Photographer?

From the various post cards it appears that the photographer and sender of the 1905 post cards had the initials B.A. Given the sender’s reference to working at the school we checked the National School Teachers’ Register and could find no one with B.A. as initials. Thinking that B might stand for Bill we also looked for W. A. Given the fact that B.A. stayed in Glenmore for at least a couple months we do not believe that he or she was a school inspector.

By 1905 the building of the railways was complete and the building of the Glenmore Creamery was commencing. An extensive newspaper search began to determine who may have been in Glenmore in March-June 1905 and connected with the school.

The Agriculture & Technical Instruction (Ireland) Act 1899, and the Agriculture and Technical Instruction (Ireland) Act 1902, established the Department of Agricultural Technical Instruction for Ireland and provided funding for local schemes in agriculture and technical instruction. These Acts remained in place until 1930 when the Vocational Education Act repealed most of the technical instruction provisions. The following year the Agriculture Act dissolved the Department and transferred its functions.

The Kilkenny County Council established the Kilkenny County Committee of Agriculture and Technical Instruction. Instructors were hired and by April 1905 the Kilkenny People (Sat. 29 April 1905, p. 2) were providing excerpts from Miss J.M. Campbell’s, Poultry Report; T. Rea’s, Horticulture Report and William Smyth’s, Agricultural Instruction Report. Glenmore was mentioned in the Poultry and Horticulture Report. William Smythe spent the spring of 1905 providing instruction regarding fruit trees. The closest his report mentioned to his being in Glenmore was Mullinavat.

Based upon what we have uncovered thus far we believe that the photographer was associated with the Agriculture and Technical Instruction which usually took place in schools.

The Addressee: Miss L. Ericsson

The receiver of the post cards was Miss L. Ericsson of 49 Kelmscott Road, Wandsworth Commons, Surrey, London. The address where she lived in 1905 is a terraced house now worth £1,715,000 (per the Move Market). No ties with Glenmore were discovered. Interestingly on one post card B.A. appears to write a few words of Swedish “Minga Halsningus friss(?)” Given the statements made on the post card it appears obvious that Miss Ericsson was unfamiliar with Ireland. There is no marriage record for L. Ericsson in Ireland from 1905 to 1920 and no obvious match could be found in British records.

[Update 30 May 2025– Per the1901 Census, for 49 Kelmscott Road, Battersea, Wandsworth, Surrey the Ericson (sic) family included Eric, the father. Eric was 46 (b. 1855 in Sweden) and worked as a tailor’s cutter. His wife Louisa was 33 (b. 1868). Their daughter Lilian was 14 (b. 1887) and their son Eric was 10 (b. 1891). The baby of the family was Winifred who was 8 (b. 1893). Thus the recipient of the 1905 post cards was Miss Lilian Ericsson who was 18 in 1905.

In the 1911 Census the family was residing at Crescent Wimbledon Park SW, Surrey, England. The father Eric was 56 and still employed as a tailor’s cutter. His wife, Louisa was 43. Lilian Catherine Ericson was 24 and employed as a school teacher. Winifred Nellie Ericson was 18 and employed as a telegraphist.

Lillian Catherine Ericsson married Edward Charles Cull in 1914. They were both 27 years of age.  They were also both teachers although Edward was employed since 1901 as a lecturer. His father was John Cull, a Civil Service Clerk. The witnesses were Louisa Ericson and Louisa Cull. Lilian’s father was dead by the time of her marriage (Portsmouth Evening News, Tues. 21 April 1914, p. 4).

The 1921 Census reveals that Lilian and her family were residing at 10 Watson’s Green, Kates Hill, Dudley, Staffordshire, England. Her husband Edward was 34 and he was a University lecturer in Education at the University if Birmingham. Their son, John Ericson Cull, was born 15 April 1919, at Dudley, Worcestershire. Lillian’s widowed mother, Louisa was also in the household. In the 1939 Census Lilian, Edward and John were living at 90 Oakfield Road, Birmingham, Warwickshire, England. Edward was employed as a University Lecturer in Education and Psychology. John aged 20 was a university student.

Lillian C. Cull died in 1958 at the age of 71 in Birmingham, Warwickshire, and Edward Charles Cull died aged 79 in 1966 in Malvern District, Worcestershire.]

Post Card 1

“This is Glenmore. Looks better through the trees than close to. I am staying just at the foot of the road.” This appears to be “The Churns.”

Post card dated Wed. 22^nd 3.05. “Dear L./ Received yours this morning. Having grand weather here today. Quite like summer. Will write soon. B.”

Post Card 2

“This is Glenmore. The photo shows nearly all of the houses. Right under the arrow is my little place. The school where I work is at S.” The S is obviously pointing to the National School. The church can be clearly seen to the right. The arrow indicating where he is staying is problematic by its placement, but given the previous post card it appears that he stayed in one of the small houses built by the Landlord Dr. Mackesy.

” Postcard dated Glenmore 8.4.05. I expect you wonder where I get classes of 18 & 20 from in a place this size. This is big compared to my other district. Minga Halsningus friss?  [Swedish = best wishes?] B.A.”

Post Card 3

“Cottage at Glenmore”

“Glenmore. Fancy living with a family of 3 or 4. This is only a stones throw from my place. Will give you some idea of rural Ireland. B.” [postmarked 23 May 1905] We believe that this cottage was on the Vee Road between Bridie Doolan’s tiny shop was later located and where the creamery was being built in 1905.

Post Card 4

Back of Postcard dated 8 June 1905, Glenmore. “A sample of some of the back streets of New Ross.”

Post Card 5

Back of Post Card dated 8 June 1905, Glenmore. “Another St. Michael’s. Looks a smaller place than yours. B”

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

Old Kilkenny County Council records are stored in the Kilkenny Archives and as time permits we shall search these records for instructors sent to Glenmore in 1905. Special thanks to Mick Breen for sharing these post cards.

Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh