Lady on a Penny-farthing, Ballitore, late 1800s
A lady photographed on a penny-farthing in the village of Ballitore, Co. Kildare, in the late 1800s. Ballitore is the only planned and permanent Quaker village in Ireland.
Courtesy of County Kildare Library and Arts ServiceLady on a Penny-farthing, Ballitore, late 1800s
Courtesy of County Kildare Library and Arts Service
Courtesy of County Kildare Library and Arts Service
Lady on a Penny-farthing, Ballitore, late 1800s
A lady photographed on a penny-farthing in the village of Ballitore, Co. Kildare, in the late 1800s. Ballitore is the only planned and permanent Quaker village in Ireland.
Courtesy of County Kildare Library and Arts ServiceThe small village of Ballitore is located in South-East Kildare. It is the only planned and permanent Quaker village in Ireland. The land where the village now stands was purchased by two Quakers in the 1680s. They were travelling on the main Dublin to Cork road when the stopped to give their horses a rest. They were impressed by the valley with a small river flowing through it. The new settlers worked hard and transformed the valley into rich farmland. They also built flour and wool mills.
Ballitore Village, Co. Kildare, c.1900
A photograph of Ballitore Village from the turn of the 20th century. Ballitore is the only planned and permanent Quaker village in Ireland.
Courtesy of County Kildare Library and Arts ServiceBallitore Village, Co. Kildare, c.1900
Courtesy of County Kildare Library and Arts Service
Courtesy of County Kildare Library and Arts Service
Ballitore Village, Co. Kildare, c.1900
A photograph of Ballitore Village from the turn of the 20th century. Ballitore is the only planned and permanent Quaker village in Ireland.
Courtesy of County Kildare Library and Arts ServiceThe village developed as a Quaker settlement. A Meeting House was built around 1780. In 1726, a boarding school was opened by Abraham Shackleton (an ancestor of Ernest Shackleton). The school was open to non-Qaukers, but was run on Quaker principles. Abraham's son, Richard, took over the running of the school when his father retired but restricted entry to Quakers. The school declined in the following years and eventually shut in 1801.
Abraham's grand-daughter was Mary Leadbeater. She was born in 1763, and lived all her life in Ballitore. Even though she was busy with six children to bring up, as well as working as a herbalist and the village postmistress, Mary still found time to write. In particular, her diaries tell a lot about Irish Quakers and the goings on in Ireland during her life.
Quaker Costume Collection, Ballitore Quaker Museum, Co. Kildare
A collection of Quaker clothes dating formthe mid-1800s.
Courtesy of County Kildare Library and Arts ServiceQuaker Costume Collection, Ballitore Quaker Museum, Co. Kildare
Courtesy of County Kildare Library and Arts Service
Courtesy of County Kildare Library and Arts Service
Quaker Costume Collection, Ballitore Quaker Museum, Co. Kildare
A collection of Quaker clothes dating formthe mid-1800s.
Courtesy of County Kildare Library and Arts ServiceThere is still a Quaker Meeting House in Ballitore. Ballitore Library and Quaker Museum is located in the restored Mary Leadbeater House.