Law Life Assurance Company: A County Mayo Landlord in the 19th Century
The Law Life Assurance Company was one of the primary landlords in the Civil Parishes of Kilmeena, Aglish and Ballyhean when the Griffith's Valuation was conducted in County Mayo Ireland between 1855 and 1857. They also dominated the Townlands of Caher and Carrowmore in Kilgeever Civil Parish and the Townland of Bellanierin in Turlough Civil Parish.
The following Townlands have the Law Life Assurance Company as their primary Landlord in Aglish Civil Parish: Ballinvilla, Burren, Cappagh, Drumask, Mountgregory and they have one parcel in Tawnylaheen. They represent the Townlands of Cregganbell, Derreenmulroy, Derrynaskeagh, Drumkeaghta, Lisheenaveelish, Magheranagay and Parkboy in Ballyhean Civil Parish, the Townlands of Caher and Carrowmore in Kilgeever Civil Parish and the Townland of Bellanierin in Turlough Civil Parish. There are 23 different Townlands in Kilmeena Civil Parish that are represented by this company if you count the Islands in Clew Bay. There is one huge discrepancy to mention; 22 of the 23 Townlands are listed as having the Law Life Insurance Company as their primary Landlord in the Griffith's Valuation and one, Inishgowla (island number 11 in Clew Bay) lists the Law Life Assurance Company. The 22 Townlands represented by the Law Life Insurance Company (I think this is a typo and should be Assurance) are as follows: Carrigeenglass North and South, Carrigeenrevagh, Castleaffy, Claggan, Collan Beg, Collan More, Conrea, Drumgarve, Illannaconney (#18), Inishcottle (Island 19), Inishgort (#33), Inishnakillew (#17), Knockasproha, Knockcahillaun, Money, Moneybeg Island, Mucklagh, Rabbit Island, Roscahill, Rosmindle and Rosmoney.
There are numerous references to the Law Life Assurance Company in J.F. Quinn's "History of Mayo." I think the following paragraph best describes their perceived method of operation: "there were financial conspirators and insurance companies, and the most notorious and heartless of them was the Law Life Assurance Company of England who acquired largely in Mayo and Galway. In County Mayo they operated through Sir Benjamin Whitney, Clerk of the Crown and Peace over a span of years; had most of its landlords throttled, and raked in vast sums when the land purchase acts commenced to operate..." He goes on to describe their ruthless mode of operation as absentee landlords operating out of London; never coming to Ireland or acting in the best interest of tenants. (Quinn, Vol 4, Ch 11, p. 380).
Benjamin Whitney, mentioned earlier, was noted in the same source as being the head of a big Dublin firm who operated on behalf of an extensive list of Irish landlords. They exerted much influence in the period "after the Encumbered Estates courts was quenched and the Landed Estates Court set up." J.F. Quinn describes the impact of Sir Benjamin Whitney and his company as follows: "He saved a remnant of Mayo Landlords with his activities. Whitney was in a position to contact the landlords and acting as agent for the Law Life Insurance Company, he advanced millions to landlords on first charge mortgages, and for more than 30 years had his thumbs on the windpipes of most of those in Mayo." (Quinn, 1996, Vol 4, Ch 10, p. 311).
The discrepancy between the name Law Life Insurance Company and the Law Life Assurance Company was noted again in J. F. Quinn's "History of Mayo." The paragraph below specifically names the Law Life Insurance Company in reference to Samuel O'Malley's Estate, but the Griffith's Valuation lists Sir Samuel O' Malley as having the Law Life Assurance Company as his landlord in the Townland of Cregganbell in Ballyhean Civil Parish. To make things even more confusing, there is reference to the Law Life Assurance Society in numerous sources including the Landed Estates Database estate records and the Irish Law Times and Solicitors Journal, a "weekly gazette of legal postings and legal news." The Irish Law Times November 11, 1876 edition had a bankruptcy notice for the estate of Sir Charles Compton Domvile Bart another major Mayo Landlord. He had insurance via the Law Life Assurance Society for two of his lots that were part of what was listed for auction. (Falconer; 1876, Vol X, p. 591).
The Law Life Assurance Company handled many estates in County Mayo. When the Kilboyne Castlebar Estate of Sir Samuel O' Malley was sold by the court, the Law Life Insurance Company acquired Clare Island and then turned around and sold it to Berridge. (Quinn, Vol 4, Ch 11, p. 359). Benjamin Whitney and the Law Life Insurance Company also acquired the Rahins, Castlebar Estate of the Browne family and held onto it until the Land Purchase Act was instituted. (Quinn, Vol 4, Ch 11, p. 361). The Earl of Lucan, one of the most notorious Landlords in County Mayo (who was known for his extensive evictions and lack of concern for his tenants during the peak of the famine) evicted his tenants to consolidate his land to implement his extensive tillage farm/grazing scheme. It failed miserably and he eventually couldn't pay the poor rates even with his wealthy friends help. The Law Life Insurance Company ended up investing a lot of money in Lucan's estate. This carried him in spite of his failed grazing scheme, managing to keep him out of the Encumbered Estates Court, but in the end "Lucan was one of the first landlords in Mayo to offer his estates to the Congested Districts Board...Whitney and those he represented as first encumbrances got paid in full." (Quinn, Vol 4, Ch 10, p. 311).
The Law Life Insurance Company played a fairly big role when the County Mayo Landlords were struggling financially in the years after the peak of the famine. I will undoubtedly have more to add to this page as I learn more about the estates that they dealt with as I continue my research.