Edward Wynne

Mr Wynne was heavily involved in the land war and got himself evicted so he lived on the Fays of Togherstown and died before it was restored to his widow. The case for restoring the property to them was brought up in thre House of Commons and meetings were held to make the point. We have newspaper extracts showing this.

It's intriguing to note that both the Griffiths valuation of 184(3?) and the Census of Owners of Land of one acre and more 1870 ~show a Mrs Sophia Wynne living in Moyvore in the latter she owns 584 acres

The son is also active

From DENIS KILBRIDE M.P. 1848-1924 NUI Maynooth

TRIAL BY SPECIAL JURY N. Chamberlain, Colonel Inspector General reported to the under secretary on 15 September 1902 that members of the United Irish League were advocating boycotting at pubic meetings, in an orchestrated plan of agitation which had and would lead to a lot of ev ii1031 The foregoing probably explains why on 27 July 1902 KilBride delivered a speech at Milltown Cross, near Moyvore, County Westmeath, for which he was charged with using language ‘calculated to incite people to murder’ Major-General Devenish Meares, of Meare’s Court in County Westmeath.1032 KilBride said he was sent there by the secretary of the central organisation of the United Irish League to form a branch. General Meares evicted a tenant (Edward Wynne) on 6 June for non-payment of rent and a public meeting organised by the United Irish League was called to meet at Meare’s Court on the 27 July 1902, to condemn General Meare’s action.1034 A warrant for KilBride’s arrest, signed by Captain John Preston RM on 5 August, charged that KilBride ‘did solicit, encourage, persuade or endeavour to persuade, a person or persons to murder one Major-General Devenish Meares, of Meare’s Court’ at Milltown Cross, County Westmeath on 27 July 1902’. On foot of this warrant, KilBride was arrested in Templemore courthouse on 12 August 1902 and ‘conveyed in custody to Athlone’ where he was given four months imprisonment, which he appealed.1035 He was removed in custody from Tullamore and brought to Athlone to the appeal court on 29 August, where the bench were ‘equally divided’ and KilBride was freed ‘to appear when called upon’.1036 A month later he was duly served with notice to appear at Athlone court on 9 October. Sergeant Gildea who was present at Culaghboy on the 6 June at the eviction of Wynne and also at Milltown Cross on 27 July, reported that KilBride referred to General Meares as a ‘feather-bed general’ who showed the ‘white feather at the Crimea war’.1037 KilBride was returned to appear before Justice Kenny for trial at the Leinster Winter Assizes in Maryborough on 8 December. His bail was set at one surety of £200 or two sureties of £100 each.1038 A ‘friend’ of KilBride’s acted as surety for the full sum of £200, which the court accepted and he was released.1039 KilBride’s case was tried over two days, before a special jury as it was deemed to be a very serious case.1040 According to the United Irish League the trial was conducted fairly by Justice Kenny, who ‘was no believer in the guilt of the accused’,1041 but they insisted that the jury was ‘packed’ and a conviction would be a foregone conclusion. KilBride, the accused, was limited to six challenges, which his counsel exhausted, ‘while the Crown ordered forty-seven to stand by’.1042 The jury consisted of eleven Protestants and one Catholic, ‘the latter gentleman being of the landowning class.’1043 (Table 10) According to the United Irish League, ‘not only were Catholics set aside, but liberal-minded and upright Protestant citizens were challenged by the Crown Solicitor and insulted by not being allowed to enter the jury box’.1044An exclusively hostile jury was empanelled, and trial by jury degenerated in this case into trial by opponents.1045