William Bliz(z)ard Williamson

Hi there,

You have done very well to find that information out. Cork however, is a very big county. Without a more exact location, you could be searching for some time to come. I could suggest some places you could start your search, but to be honest, County Cork is huge!

You could check for the frequency of the surname in the 1901 and 1911 census records here: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/search/ This might help you to narrow it down a little.

"Persecution" could mean anything really. Perhaps a landlord evicted them? Perhaps any number of reasons. Until we can pin down a precise location, we cannot check for the facts just yet.

If they were intinerant 'tinkers', then it is highly unlikely that you would find clues about their occupation, as you might find with other occupations (where you could check trade directories etc.).

You could try checking the land records called the Tithe Applotment Books (1823-38) or the later Griffth's Valuation (1848-64). Griffith's is freely available here: www.askaboutireland.com or here: www.failteromhat.com Failte Romhat has lots of other useful links you could try looking at. This has lots of useful links for County Cork you could look through.

Please make sure you link anyone else in your family who is interested in their Irish heritage to our site - and indeed anyone else you know of Irish heritage.

Kind regards,

Sinead Cooney

Genealogist (Ireland XO)

OK I am now a (little) bit more certain about location.

The Cork Examiner (p 1 col 6) and Cork Daily Southern Reporter (p 2 col 1) of 20 July 1869 carry the following notice:

NOTICE.
CORK TOTAL ABSTINENCE ASSOCIATION.
WILLIAM BLIZARD WILLIAMSON, formerly
of Cork (now of Worcester), wishes to address
the inhabitants of his native city on his experience of
the Evils of intemperance and the Benefits of Total
Abstinence.
A Meeting for this purpose is intended to be held
in the ROTUNDO, ATHENÆUM, on TUESDAY
EVENING next, the 20th inst., at 8 o’Clock.
ROBERTT SCOTT Esq., J.P, will preside.
Amission Free. 4070

This would tend to indicate that he was from Cork City (and not from Cork County - or even leaving somewhere in Ireland else via Cork). Note: "his native city".

Might he have "come good" and almost gone back so that the inhabitants of his native city can see him in his finery? Is having a JP presiding significant? Or perhaps I am wrong to believe that he was a tinker in 1841?

Presumably "the Rotunda" at the Athenaeum (Later the Munster Hall and Cork Opera House) would be some form of meeting area rather than the main hall (where the likes of Charles Dickens gave addresses). However it still sounds fairly impressive. So, might there be any archives giving details of this event - either of the Cork Total Abstinence Association or of the Royal Cork Institution (whose hall I believe it was - based on internet searches)?

I am now more certain about the Cork City connection and have posted onto the Cork City board.

David Faulder