Hi all, I am a little confused by the meaning of "seneschal". In the Directory of old trades it describes it as a "steward of the household of a prince or noble man who took charge  of domestic arrangments." At a dinner in 1824 given by Earl of Clanricard he is listed a steward "Stewards- Thomas Shagwell, Esq., M.D.; Major Boulger; T.R. Hemsworth, Esq; J.H. Ridge, Esq.; Edmund Silk, Esq." This seems to fit with the description of the position but then I found the following  and now I am confused. It seems he was of the gentry and in fact he did marry into quite a prominent family (Letitia the daughter of Thomas Stratford EYRE) In the 1824 Pigots directory he is listed under gentry and clergy - "Silk Edmund, esq, Seneschal, Church-lane" In Slaters directory 1846 he is listed under attorneys. and then I found this article "Loughrea in 1847 This article was originally published in the 'Galway Advertiser' on 27th February, 1847. "A Shopkeeper" in Loughrea has written to us a letter on the great disadvantage the inhabitants are under in consequence of the want of a Seneschal in that town......For ourselves we are much surprised his lordship has not appointed a successor to the late Mr. Silk long ere this, and now when an all but a direct calls made upon him to accommodate the inhabitants of Loughrea, we are sure his lordship will feel but too happy in complying with their request." Obvoiusly a seneschal is more than just a steward of a household if his death could disrupt a town. Can anyone help me? Cheers Josie

Josie, one of the duties of a seneschal might involve presiding over the manorial court. See for example, the entry for Loughrea in Lewis's Topographical Dictionary (1837) at http://www.libraryireland.com/topog/l2.php: A manorial court is held before the seneschal; petty sessions are held every Thursday, and quarter sessions twice in the year before the assistant barrister for the county. You can read more about the duties of the seneschal in the following law passed in 1826: An Act to amend the Laws for the Recovery of Small Debts, and the Proceedings for that Purpose, in the Manor Courts in Ireland. It is printed in the following: The statutes of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland [1807-1865] - page 114, online at Google Books. Just do a search at Google books (http://books.google.com) using the terms seneschal ireland An Act to amend the Laws for the Recovery of Small Debts and look for the citation mentioned above. The Manor Courts remained part of the court system in Ireland until they were abolished in 1859. The same search as above also yields that law abolishing the courts, in The Irish jurist, Volume 11. These two citations should clarify the role of the seneschal for you. If you want more, you might also try a Google search with the terms "manor courts" ireland seneschal . Geralyn Wood Barry in Oregon, USA On 5/24/2010 9:45 PM, Josie de Moor wrote: > Obvoiusly a seneschal is more than just a steward of a household if his death could disrupt a town. > Can anyone help me? > Cheers > Josie >