The Rathcormac massacre or Gortroe massacre was an affray during the Tithe War in Ireland, which took place on 18 December 1834 in County Cork, by Bartlemy Cross in the civil parish of Gortroe near the village of Rathcormac. Between twelve and twenty protesting locals were killed by soldiers enforcing the collection of tithes.
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Background
Since 1830, Catholic peasants or tenant farmers across much of Ireland had been withholding the tithes they were obliged to pay to the vicar of the local Anglican Church of Ireland parish. Archdeacon William Ryder was the rector of the parish of Gortroe (then also spelt Gurtroe), and also a resident magistrate (RM). His tithes fell due on 1 November 1834 and on 18 December a distraining party set out led by Archdeacon Ryder and Captain Richard Boyle Bagley, RM, and William Cooke Collis, a Justice of the Peace.
Incident
The distraining party was met at Bartlemy, a crossroads hamlet, by a military escort. This comprised 12 mounted troops of the 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards under Major Waller; two companies (100 men) of the 29th (Worcestershire) Regiment of Foot under Lieutenant Tait; and "a very small party" of the Irish Constabulary under Captain Pepper. A crowd of 250 locals began pelting the party with stones before retreating to the plot of Widow Ryan where a barricade had been built. Ryan owed 40 shillings in arrears and the party advanced to collect either the money or produce of equal value. The Riot Act was read and the soldiers advanced, but were beaten back by "spades sticks and stones" and sustained injuries for 45 minutes. Waller ordered them to open fire. Nine were killed at the scene and 45 injured. None of the distraining party or escort were killed, though many were injured by rocks, cudgels and pikes. The crowd dispersed and Ryan paid her tithe.
Aftermath
Daniel O'Connell published a legal opinion that forces' action amounted to wilful murder. An inquest was held for the nine who died at the scene. Feargus O'Connor appeared at this to argue O'Connell's points, and 13 of the jury voted for "wilful murder", 2 for manslaughter and 8 for justifiable homicide. The magistrates were arrested and released on bail. Criminal charges were later dropped.
Higgins-McHugh states that three of those injured later died, whereas Feargus O'Connor claimed that, apart from the nine dead recorded at the inquest, there were two bodies carried away, and nine who died later of their wounds, for a total of twenty killed.
Henry Grattan caused publication of a letter in which Lord FitzRoy Somerset expressed satisfaction with the soldiers' conduct.
After Rathcormac, the Dublin Castle administration stopped the automatic assignment of military and police escorts to agents collecting tithes, instead requiring documentary proof that the collectors were endangered. The massacre was "the last battle of the Tithe War", though there were subsequent less severe riots prior to the Tithe Rentcharge (Ireland) Act 1838 which resolved the controversy.