Address, dated July 1869, to John Cochrane from the Tenantry of the Erne Estate after his marriage to Martha Little.

John Cochrane's first wife Emma Elizabeth née Warren died on 1st April 1866. Just over three years later, on 20th May 1869 he remarried Martha Little and was presented with this parchment Address and a silver plate tea service from the Tenantry of the Erne Estate, of which he was then Agent. The parchment measures about 50cm × 70cm and is interesting for the list of some 95 or 96 tenants on Lord Erne's Estate; with 67 different surnames.

John Cochrane Esquire M.A. J.P.

Agent to

The Right Honorable The Earl of Erne K.P. &c. &c.

Dear Sir

We the Tenantry on the Erne Estate in the County Donegal desire to offer you our warmest congratulations on your marriage and to express our earnest and confident belief that the auspicious event will materially contribute to your real happiness and welfare.

We cannot but feel that it will form an additional link in the chain that now binds your interests so closely with ours, and we hail with the liveliest satisfaction your union with a Lady whose grace and amiability have found for her a place in the hearts of all who have had the privilege of her acquaintance.

We embrace this opportunity of assuring you how highly we appreciate the kindness and efficiency with which you have discharged the responsible duties of your office during the past Five Years, caring anxiously for the success and prosperity of the Tenant, whilst consulting the interests of our excellent Landlord with a fidelity and diligence deserving the highest commendation.

In addition to this address a number of the Subscribers thereto desiring to present you with a more enduring token of their respect and esteem, wish your acceptance of the accompanying pieces of plate which they hope Mrs Cochrane and yourself may long live to use.

We pray God that you and Mrs Cochrane may long be spared to live amongst us and to maintain that cordial feeling of respect and esteem which has hitherto so happily subsisted between us.

We are, Dear Sir                                      
your faithful and sincere friends

July 1869

The Subscribers are listed in four columns, the first three of which are headed by names written in a larger, bolder script. The document was probably written by a clerk, as the final name reads "William McCrea Clk". All the document is in the same forward slanting script except the paragraph about the pieces of silver plate, starting "In addition to this address ...", which is in a bolder, more angular, backward sloping script except for Mrs Cochrane's name.

The whole document was able to be transcribed unambiguously, with one exception. Ten names from the bottom of the second column is written "John S Robert Weir" which I have taken to mean "John & Robert Weir". In all (other) cases where initials are used, the clerk has put in very clear full-stops.

Click the picture above if you wish to download a much larger and clearer image (1749×1247pixels at 566K).

For convenience, these names have been transcribed in alphabetical order of the Surname. In several instances, pairs of people have identical names; this is more likely because the names were common ones rather than an error on the part of the clerk. The spelling has not been altered so that, for example, there are three variations of Macbeth.