The following anecdote which might be of interest, is transcribed exactly as written, from the Journal of my 3XGr grandmother, Jane Lane Baker LATHAM (1799/1800 - 1877). She wrote the Journal in Clonmel in 1859 for her son, William Pennefather LATHAM who had emigrated to Tasmania, Australia (and was my great great grandfather). Jane was a daughter of Thomas Lane Baker and Sarah Meagher of Killenaule. She was married to William Hamilton LATHAM, Esq., son of William LATHAM, Esq., of Ballysheehan. Jane and William lived for many years in Fethard in the house that later became the Augustinian Priory from about 1865 to 1951 when it was demolished in 1951. I have no idea how accurate this story is but I have on researching it, that most of her Journal is remarkably correct. The anecdote "This is to amuse you dear William.... An Uncle of my fathers, Charley Baker was in love with, and corresponded for two years with a Miss Vise, a ward of Chancery {with her sister}, their Guardian designed her to marry his nephew, who she disliked, being nearly of age, she arranged that Charley was ~ by way ~ to take her of[f] when out walking. He did and they went to a Shooting Lodge on the mountain, of his brother’s. While waiting to get abroad to be married~ they were made of in a fortnight, when he was in Clonmel jail. She wrote to him to send her all her letters back as for her dignity’s sake, her Guardian did not wish it to be known she wrote to him. Then she could swear he had no letters of hers, and her Guardian said all would be settled and they married after the trial. The Assises came on ~he sent the letters with that letter previously back to her and desired his Council not to cross examine her. She swore he took her away. That she had received letters from him but he had no answers of hers. One of the jury asked her to produce his letters to the Court to show it, she said, the fact , she burned them. In reply to a question as to his treatment, she [indecipherable] he slept in a cottage near and kissed her on leaving at nights & that on coming in next morning that he often kissed her hands as she sat in Charley’s lap with his arm around her waist and her Arm round his neck. She said Fly Charley fly and he would not. She was not examined his being taken with her was proved & [indecipherable] His [indecipherable] swore that for over two years they took letters to her and got letters for him in return. A Gentleman swore he was with Charley the day he sent the parcel of letters directed to Miss Vise, he read none of them. Charley told him the circumstances connected with there [sic] return, the jailer saw the parcel going to[o], all went for O, she was a ward of Chancery and he was condemned to die, to all interest made, pardon was refused. He was a very fine young man and one of the most accomplished of that period a general favourite and much loved by his Cousins, the day was at hand & no pardon. The Beautiful Lady Matthews, posted to Dublin, drove to the judges, on his coming out she told him to get into the carriage and then to the Castle , sent in her name and was admitted, falling on her knees, she said, I came my Lord to beg the life of my cousin Charley Baker act an Honourable part, I would not ask for it. Rise Lady Matthews it is granted, so fine a woman I could not refuse but the judge must be sent to[o]. He was in the carriage, the reprieve sent off, they had ordered horses to be kept saddled in each posting establishment as the[y] changed going up, as he was to be hanged on the next day. In Clonmel, all was excitement, his relatives and the gentry of the Co. Kilkenny, Waterford, Limerick & Tipperary came to his funeral. Men were posted on all the hills for miles with flags to signal on. 12 o’clock was the hour, a few minutes before it the Sheriff handed his watch unseen to a Friend, he put it back half an hour, the jailer came to say it was 12, the Sheriff looked at his watch it wanted 27 minutes of that time, the word had passed round all watches told the same hours, and it came to three minutes of being up , a faint shout was heard. The Official came again to say that the time was up when the Sheriff said he would take the responsibility of waiting half an hour as he thought the shouting indicated a reprieve and it became stunning as Charley’s Foster brother rode in his best Hunter & had scarce time to jump of[f] before it lay dead at his feet, on Charley being told he fainted. Some Friends went on to Ballymoreen to break the news to his Mother and Sisters and Friends who were weeping over his grave clothes and the House hung with black. The tenants wives had a large bonfire on the cross as all the men had gone to the Funeral, and were joyously heard, returning long before the Cavalcade arrived. Poor Charley died before three months of a broken heart, he thought her faithless. It was though her Guardian intercepted her letters. She did not marry his nephew after all but in years and years after Miss Vise married the Revd. Mr Stevenson, Rector of Clonmel and when they had company an old Tipperary beggar, Nance Wills used to go and sit at the gate and sing a Ballad made and sold of his last speech, and each Verse ended with “She thought to swear away the life of Charley Baker” until money was sent out to get rid of her. An Officer who had been quartered in Clonmel, marched in as Coln. of his Regt after a 20 or more years absence in other lands. Stevenson met and asked him & some of the Officers to join a dinner party at the rectory that day. They went, during dinner he said, Stevenson, what became of that wretch Miss Vise, that thought to take away the life of our poor friend Charley Baker. He got no reply. He asked again. Mr Stevenson was engaged talking to a lady. The old Coln impatiently said, do you not hear me, what became of that wretch Miss Vise? The Parson stood up, all eyes were on him and said, allow me to introduce you to her as my wife, Mrs Stevenson. Up started the Coln. in a Fury and said why man did you not tell me and I would not set foot in your house or sit at your table and off he started to finish his dinner at the Hotel, and while he was quartered in Clonmel he never spoke to Stevenson , whose cloth he said, saved him from the punishment he merited from him." Wendy