Newspaper mention
Clare Hopkins · 19 Jul 2026
Newspaper mention of Robert Butler Bryan
- Person
- Date
- 30 October 1841
- Place
- Also tagged
Another Awful Murder-Assassination of Robert Butler Bryan, Esq. - The Cornwall Chronicle (Saturday 30 October 1841):
"The following notice of the foul assassination of Mr. Robert Butler Bryan (brother of Mr. Samuel Bryan, of Srathmore), we extract from an Irish paper. It affords a melancholy picture of the state of Ireland:
Another Awful Murder- Assassination of Robert Butler Bryan, Esq. (from a correspondent of the Evening Mail).
“I have the very sad news to convey to you that Mr. Robert Butler Bryan, the gentleman who purchased the palace and demesne of the late Bishop of Ferns, has been murdered this evening, at five o’clock, in the woods which form part of the demesne. He was riding at the time alone; nothing more is at present known on the subject. He had lately dispossessed two tenants, and in this cause may his death be attributed.”
(From another Correspondent)
“Ferns, Thursday Evening - Mr. Butler Bryan, a most estimable gentleman, who became the purchaser of the palace and ground of the late Bishop of Ferns, was shot this afternoon in a wood adjoining the house.
He had ridden out a short time previously, and his horse having returned without its rider, his steward went out in the direction his master had taken, supposing some incident had occurred.
He found him lying quite dead, having been shot a little above the hip. Beside him was a letter, or envelope, covered with blood, but not containing any writing inside. This leads to the conjecture that the letter was handed to him by the assassins to ascertain his identity, and that, consequently, the murder was perpetrated, as in usual, by a stranger, brought from a distance, and who was ignorant of his person.
Mr. Bryan was a Liberal in politics, was making vast improvements, and expending over fifty pounds a week in labour alone. But some refractory tenants, who held leases under the late Bishop, having refused to renew him him, or to surrender the land they held, he found it necessary. In his own defence, to serve ejectments; and two or three of the refractory tenants being ??, the gentleman’s life became a sacrifice to those ruffian legislators. He was closely connected with Mr. Evans, the member for the county of Dublin, with Lord Talbot, the Putlands, and others of that way of thinking, and was an amiable and inoffensive gentleman.
(from the Waterford Conservative)
… Mr. Bryan came to Ferns not to drive from that splendid mansion any worn out patriot, or popular rake. He came to occupy, and pay for, a splendid mansion left vacant, by the liberal, time-serving ministry, who in compliance with mob outery passed a law to make this once never-ceasing form of charity and useful employment to be no longer the Palace of the pious prelates of the diocese. he came to live, as he unfortunately persuaded himself, amid a fine and peaceful population; but his melancholy end has proved the instability of all human hopes, and proves that we live only at the brink of the erator of a fierce unbridled popular volcano - not knowing the moment its deadly influence may be in action against us.
Mr. Bryan was a man of the most kindly and amiable manners; one who sincerely loved his neighbourhood, and whilst he was held in the highest esteem and affection by all who cultivated his acquaintance, there did not appear to the public eye the least cause to suspect that he was marked out for the deadly bullet of the foul fiendish hand of the ruthless nemesis.""