Edition Bobbett1. Texts by Elizabeth F. Bobbett: 1.1.2. Correspondence, Letters to the authorities

1940 Elizabeth Bobbett: Letter to the Wicklow County Council, 22.05.1940

Source: Wicklow County Archives (WCA), County Council Minutes, 1939/40, p. 103, 24.06.1940

Miss Elizabeth F. Bobbett, of Springfield, Kilbride, Wicklow, appeared before the Council and asked permission to be heard. She read the following letter: Dear Mr. Healy. I enclose you £5 off my Rates which make up the £15 I promised to pay in May, which promise I gave to your Finance Committee at the interview they granted me last October. Now I will ask you to please bring the following matter before your Finance Committee or the County Council, or both Bodies; it is that I have given your members my word that all the land I can set for six or eleven months I am giving the rents off Rates and Annuities. In order to be able to set land it is necessary to guarantee the tenants that their stock will be safe from seizure, and I understood from the interview I had with your Finance Committee last October that they were granting me that security for the tenants.

Now within the past three weeks I have been endeavouring to set land for eleven months and can set 6 acres for £18 and another field almost 6 acres for £17, both for eleven months, but one of the tenants was stopped on the road by the Rate Collector and questioned as to where he had land taken, what he was giving for it, and how much he had, and then when he told the Collector that he was taking my land the Collector told him he was going to seize.

This leaves me in the position that these tenants will not now take the land, and no one else will either. This is intimidation by the Rate Collector which makes it impossible for me to set my land and thereby get in some money to pay off rates.

I would be glad of the opportunity to explain my case to the Rates Inspector or whoever is the head authority when next he is in the district. I would also like to remind your Members that when I was granted the interview with the Finance Committee I was not in the position to know that the compulsory tillage would be enforced or that wages was to be compulsorily increased.

Yours faithfully, Elizabeth F. Bobbett.

Proposed by Councillor J. Dunne; Seconded by Councillor Wallace. Hammond;

Resolved: That having heard Miss Elizabeth F. Bobbett, of Springfield, Kilbride, Wicklow, who has informed this Council that she has opportunities of setting her lands provided this County Council guarantees that the stock of the persons taking her land will not be seized by any person for Poor Rates, we hereby give to Miss Bobbett the guarantee that she seeks to-day, and we direct that a copy of this Resolution be sent to the Poor Rate Collector, W. C. Byrne, with whom Miss Bobbett shall conduct Rate Matters in accordance with this Resolution. Passed.