A fine set of fetlocks: Commissioned by Mr. T. Widger
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Where: Waterford, Ireland
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When: Unknown
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The full title on this is "Meet at Gracedieu(?) - commissioned by Mr. T. Widger". Maybe Mr. Widger rode to the hunt, and perhaps wanted an image of both he and his steed recorded for posterity(?) It certainly is a fine shot of the pair, and there appears to be a "Big House" in the background. There is an area in Waterford called Gracedieu but was that named after a house or vice versa? It does sound familiar....
The consensus is that this is a member of the Widger family from Waterford. Pretty much all of whom (of working-age) were recorded in the 1911 census as horse-dealers or trainers. The suggestion is that Poole captured this image at Grace Dieu estate, a short distance south of Waterford, and which we have visited before. Based on similar images in the catalogue, and the fashions visible, it seems likely this dates to the first decade or so of the 20th century....
Photographer: A. H. Poole
Collection: Poole Photographic Studio, Waterford
Date: Catalogue range c.1901-1954. Likely c.1900s-1910s
NLI Ref: POOLEWP 0269
You can also view this image, and many thousands of others, on the NLI’s catalogue at catalogue.nli.ie
Source: Flickr Commons
Views: 48809
The consensus is that this is a member of the Widger family from Waterford. Pretty much all of whom (of working-age) were recorded in the 1911 census as horse-dealers or trainers. The suggestion is that Poole captured this image at Grace Dieu estate, a short distance south of Waterford, and which we have visited before. Based on similar images in the catalogue, and the fashions visible, it seems likely this dates to the first decade or so of the 20th century....
Photographer: A. H. Poole
Collection: Poole Photographic Studio, Waterford
Date: Catalogue range c.1901-1954. Likely c.1900s-1910s
NLI Ref: POOLEWP 0269
You can also view this image, and many thousands of others, on the NLI’s catalogue at catalogue.nli.ie
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Owner: National Library of Ireland on The CommonsSource: Flickr Commons
Views: 48809
ahpoole
arthurhenripoole
glassnegative
nationallibraryofireland
hunt
horse
nodogs
meet
gracedieu
waterford
widger
bowler
thomaswidger
horsedealer
wildmanfromborneo
widgerstables
locationidentified
poolephotographiccollection
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sharon.corbet
OSI Map showing Gracedieu House. It still exists and according to this 2015 article it housed / is currently housing the Waterford Courthouse.
derangedlemur
I don't think it's that OSI one. It looks a bit meagre on the satellite: www.google.ie/maps/@52.2696075,-7.1586678,341m/data=!3m1!1e3
derangedlemur
This looks a better bet: maps.osi.ie/publicviewer/#V2,659965,607361,11,9
Niall McAuley
Rory_Sherlock
This seems to be the place: landedfamilies.blogspot.ie/2014/07/128-anderson-of-grace-...
guliolopez
This Mr. T(homas) Widger was a horse-dealer. As was (presumed relative?) Mr. T(homas J) Widger. If the image's commissioner was in the horsey business, it would perhaps explain the "photoshopping" on the tail; Something that was maybe less likely on a "snapshot", compared to an image used commercially(?)
Niall McAuley
In the 1911 Census, there are 14 male Widgers in Co. Waterford. Of the 9 adults, 5 are Horse Dealers, one a retired trainer and two are Car drivers. A very horsey family!
Niall McAuley
The blurred ladies behind are in full length skirts, suggesting the earlier part of the date range...
Niall McAuley
The same occasion in the archive? The ladies are in better focus and perhaps dateable from the fashions...
Niall McAuley
This archive shot is latest 1910, and shows the house as it was .
Niall McAuley
There are a couple more in the archive dated 1901: Mar 23 and Apr 11, but I do not see this gentleman in those (no megazoom!).
Bernard Healy
I was curious about the name 'Gracedieu'. It seems as though the original Gracedieu House got its name from the name given to the surrounding area by the Norman settlers of the 12th century! www.logainm.ie/ga/1167001
ofarrl
I had a tour of the house the last time I was back in Waterford while work was going on to get it ready for the court. It had previously been owned by the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart and was used as a retreat and conference centre and sadly a lot of the original features were much neglected or removed. The Widger family is well known in Waterford and were at one time the largest supplier of horses to European governments as well as breeding winning race horses. One famous horse was the Grand National winner Wild Man from Borneo There is also a nice photo of Widgers stables at the Rialway Square in the library's catalogue
National Library of Ireland on The Commons
https://www.flickr.com/photos/bernardhealy There is also a townland in Waterford called "Christendom" - they were very religious down that way!
Bernard Healy
https://www.flickr.com/photos/nlireland Ah, we're fairly religious in Kerry too! ;) I think those unusual townlands are a great indicator of how Waterford & Wexford were so thoroughly Normanised compared to so much of the rest of the country. I'm always struck by the particular local names and so on when I make a rare visit to the sunny South-East. The existence of Yola is a great demonstration of that.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forth_and_Bargy_dialect
John Spooner
[https://www.flickr.com/photos/33577523@N08] There's a 1896 A H Poole photo in the UK National Archives described as: "Photograph of racehorse 'Wildman from Borneo' with Mr Joe Widger mounted". I'll add it to the list of things to do next time I[m there. discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C10376032
ofarrl
[https://www.flickr.com/photos/johnspooner/] I wonder is it the same as this one of Wild Man from Borneo in the Poole catalogue
John Spooner
[https://www.flickr.com/photos/33577523@N08] Yes, it's the same one.
The NLI says it's Tom Widger holding the reins, and the form with the UKNA version says Joe Widger is mounted, so between the two institutions both human parties are identified. Poole completed the form on 25th March 1896.
