Anne Conroy Lease Surrender
The curious case of Anne Conroy
The surrender of the lease of the former house on the site of the present 18 Ormond Quay Upper is an interesting case of social history. Throughout the 1830s, the premises had operated as a tavern run by one John Conroy and presumably his wife, Anne.
Indenture notes record that John Conroy "departed this life on or about the 19th March 1838", intestate. On 2nd January 1839 Anne Conroy “obtained letters of administration of the goods and chattels, rights and credits” of John Conroy.
John appears to have left his wife seriously indebted, as on or about 20th January 1841 Anne Conroy was recorded as a “prisoner in actual custody for debt”, on which date she “filed a petition for the relief of Insolvent Debtors in Ireland, praying for relief as therein pursuant to the provisions of an Act of Parliament passed in the third and fourth years of the reign of her present Majesty Queen Victoria [1839 & 1840] entitled, ‘An Act to continue and Amend the Laws for the Relief of Insolvent Debtors in Ireland’.”
On the 6th March 1841 Anne was discharged as an insolvent debtor. Upwards of one year’s debt had become due and in arrears on the Ormond Quay property.
By Easter 1842, James Hamilton, the building's lessor, grounded upon several statutes for the non-payment of rent by Anne Conroy and obtained a judgement entitling him to obtain the possession of 18 Ormond Quay Upper.
It was recorded that Anne Conroy:
“not having any intention of redeeming the said premises and the same being in a very decayed and ruinous state and in danger of falling, and the said James Hamilton being about to expend a large sum of money in taking down and rebuilding same, he hath applied to the said Anne Conroy and requested of her to assign and make over to him all her estate and interest (if any she now have) and all her right or equity of redemption in and to the said dwelling house and premises unto him the said James Hamilton which she hath agreed to do.”
With a consideration of ten shillings sterling paid by James Hamilton Esq. to Anne Conroy, Conroy “assigned, surrendered and yielded up” the premises at 20 [18] Upper Ormond Quay on the 21st July 1842.