From the Cork Examiner, 22 April 1844:
“We copy from the Kilkenny Journal the following extraordinary case tried on Friday last, at the Kilkenny Quarter Sessions:-
Mary Neill was placed at the bar, charged with having obtained a gown and shawl from Catherine Muldowney, under false pretences, with intent to steal.
Catherine Muldowney examined by Mr Purcell, deposed that she now lives at the butts, but in the month of December last, resided in Sir Wheeler Cuffe’s lodge. One day in that month a woman called at the lodge, and asked witness for a drink of water; there was a man in the house, and witness desired her little daughter to give the woman a drink of milk; the stranger then said it was a pity to see such decent people living in a hole of a place like the lodge, and said if witness would give her some money she would put her in the way of getting great riches, for she (the stranger) was the Queen of the Fairies.
Witness said she had no money; but brought the best gown and shawl in her possession and presented them to the weird woman, who then informed witness that she (the woman skilled in the black art) was her (witness’s) father-in-law, who had been dead for many years; she or he, for it thus appeared that the vision from fairy land was of a sort of mixed or neuter sex, had been elected Queen of the ‘good people’ and now made it a constant practice to watch over the witness’s family and shield them from all impending dangers (laughter).
Here the witness, who appeared to be in a very nervous state, burst into tears; and the Barrister told her not to be frightened for she was now surrounded by anything but good people (laughter).
Witness went on to say that her female father-in-law then squeezed her hand and bursting into tears told her that her (the father-in-law’s) soul was suffering dreadfully for the good acts which she was doing for the witness’s family; but for witness to get up in the night, after taking her first sleep, and she would then find a bag of gold at the foot of the bed; she was to get her husband to empty the bag where it had been found, to bring some of the gold to a Priest and have some masses said for the repose of the poor father-in-law’s soul; the fairy-woman said it would have been worse for the witness if she did not give the gown and shawl, for the next morning she would find them full of silks and other valuable articles, lying at the stump of a certain tree in the demesne (laughter).
Her fairy Majesty also directed witness to get up at six o’clock in the morning, and she would find on the dresser a bottle containing some of the very identical nectar which the good people themselves drink at their merrymakings; her being a teetotaller need not prevent her tasting this delicious beverage, for it was a compound which even Father Mathew himself might drink with comfort to his body, and profit to his soul.
The strange visitant further affirmed that there was a ‘passage of the fairies’ through the house, and only that she stood in the breach and kept constant watch and ward, the witness’s little girl would have been spirited away by the good people, and her husband would have received a fairy dart in the right hip, which would have rendered him totally useless to her (great laughter); witness was dreadfully frightened; but the fairy woman having packed up the gown and shawl, drew the sign of the cross on her forehead, told her not to be afraid, for she (witness) would have cause to remember her long after that day (laughter) and requested that she would be praying all night that she (the Queen of the good people) might get safe over the hills on her journey to Fairyland (continued laughter); and, having departed, she never returned with the shawl, the gown, or the promised treasure; the prisoner was not the fairy-woman, but witness met her (prisoner) about a week after the visit of the ‘Queen’, and recognised her shawl and gown upon her, so she immediately gave her in custody of the police.
To the Barrister – No one was by during the conversation between the fairy and witness, the former having previously directed that the little girl should be put outside the house.
The Barrister said that the Queen was quite right in giving such directions, for if the child had been left within, she would have laughed her mother out of being humbugged.
Cross-examined by Mr Hyland – When witness’s husband came home she told him that the Queen of the Fairies had been with her, and would make them all great people, he only laughed at it, and called her a fool. She believed the fairy woman was at that time in the family way; witness was in that way too, and the ‘queen’ gave her some powders to take, and told her they would make her give birth to a fine red-headed boy (loud laughter); her husband would not let her take the powders, The ‘Queen’ was a clean snug looking woman, about 30 years of age, and wore a brown cloak. Witness never got the silks, bottle or bag of gold, but Sir Wheeler Cuffe has given her a bag of another description, as he has turned her out of the lodge.
Sub-Constable James Fogarty proved to have arrested the prisoner with the clothes of the prosecutix on her.
Mary Lalor, for the defence, was examined by Mr Hyland. She at first refused the book, as she was in the family way, but the barrister having assured her she might safely swear without having a ‘red headed boy’, unless she had a particular penchant for an offspring with a head of that colour, she allowed herself to be sworn, and deposed that in the month of November last a woman lodged in her house, who she afterwards discovered went by the name of the ‘Fairy Queen,’ but to witness she had alleged that she was only a dealing woman. One night the fairy woman came home, and said she had got a gown and shawl, which she produced, from a woman on the Dublin road, in exchange for some sponges in which she dealt; next day she pawned the gown and shawl, and in a few days after she sold the tickets to the prisoner, who was lodging in witness’s house, but did not seem to have any connection with the other.
According to Mary Lalor, The ‘Queen’ was a well-looking woman, about 30 years of age, was in the family way, and wore a brown cloak. The prisoner was living with witness some weeks, and appeared to be a decent honest creature.
Mr Hyland said the indictment had not been sustained against the prisoner, and there was no evidence of an connection between her and her elfin Majesty.
The Barrister, in charging the jury, said he was astonished that such monstrous credulity as the prosecutrix had displayed, could exist in any Christian country, much more in the neighbourhood of a city which was usually esteemed as the Athens of Ireland; it was indeed most wonderful that even the education which the lower orders receive did not fortify them stronger against superstition; and as the woman was so exceedingly weak and nervous, it was very fortunate she had not been led into some serious scrape through the articles of the imposter. However, if the jury believed the evidence of the last witness, the prisoner was not implicated in the crime, with which she had been charged, and they were, therefore, accordingly bound to acquit her.
The jury retired, and returned a verdict of not guilty.”
In mid-19th century rural Ireland, members of the Law Library known as ‘Assistant-Barristers’, sat as part-time judges in rural criminal and civil cases which today would be dealt with by the Circuit Court.
Eagle-eyed readers may note the reference to ‘the first sleep.’ It was normal in those days for people to go to bed early, have an initial sleep and then do some light housework, reading or other forms of relaxation before engaging in a further one. Perhaps this contributed to the high birth rate?
As for the ‘Queen of the Fairies’, a woman going by this name features in several news reports throughout the 1840s, travelling through the British Isles obtaining clothes and money by similar means to the above, but managing to avoid apprehension. Eventually, in 1849, her fairy wings let her down and she was indicted for theft of a pair of boots at Sandycove, having told the owner of the boots that she was ‘on the road to Paradise.’ A detour ensued to the Dublin Criminal courts, where the woman, Margaret Byrne, was sentenced by Judge Crampton to six months’ hard labour. There are no more reports of her fairy magic.
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