Deciphering a parish marriage dispensation for Little Bray

[KD146]

I am interested in the second marriage record on the attached page from the Catholic Parish Registers at the NLI for Little Bray, no.195, Peter Kearney and Jane Toole.

There is a Dispensation note on columns 7 and 8 which is practically illegible. I wonder if anyone more familiar with these dispensations might make a good guess at what it says? Peter and Jane married late in life, and it seems that Peter emigrated to the US in 1850, but returned to Ireland, where he inherited his father's farm. His emigration led to him marrying late, and I wondered if the dispensation might offer any more information.  Many thanks.

https://registers.nli.ie/registers/vtls000633819#page/24/mode/1up

[Peggy13]

I think he is born January

[Wexflyer]

I think he is born January

Umm, that is the date of the marriage! 19-Jan-1879.

[Wexflyer]

OP:

Where did Peter reside in the US - city? Catholic diocese?

Was Jane Protestant by any chance?

[Wexflyer]

Interesting historical document - you don't often encounter an action by a vicar capitular in Ireland.

Column 7

Disp(ensed)
?? McCabe
? Vic(arius) Capitular

Column 8

? ?
Disp. ?? McCabe  ?
Vicarius Capitular

Note Paul Cardinal Cullen died in October 1878, and was succeeded as Archbishop of Dublin by Edward, later Cardinal MacCabe, in April 1879. During the interregnum, it would appear that the Most Rev. Dr. MacCabe was Vicar Capitular.

[KD146]

Peter Kearney was baptised in Kingstown 1822, making him age 57 at marriage. Jane Toole was 55. She was a Catholic from Bray.

Peter Kearney appears in one US Census in 1850, in Northampton, Hampshire, Massachusetts. He is living at the same address as his brother Nicholas Kearney, and Nicholas's wife Sarah. However, he did inherit his father's farm in Shankill by 1870, so was back in Ireland by then. This temporary emigration may be why he married late, but I wondered if the marriage dispensation may have offered a clue to things.

[Wexflyer]

The observations in column 8 are mainly routine. To the effect that either the banns have been performed three times, or not. If not, there is a dispensation from the vicar general - often abbreviated V.G.  The entry for Peter Kearney does not appear to relate to banns, but tells us that the dispensation is from the vicar capitular - which appears to be unique.

The vast majority of marriages have no entry in column 9, which is for "Impedimentum", that is, for actual impediments to a a marriage being performed. There is an entry for column 9 for Peter Kearney, and we can gather that it was a serious one, as it required dispensation at the level of the Archbishop of Dublin. The see being vacant at the time, the task of dispensation fell instead to the vicar capitular for the time being, Dr. MacCabe.

Unfortunately, the reason for the "impedimentum" - given in the first line of column 9 -  is obscure, due to the handwriting.

[Wexflyer]

A suggestion for OP - if this is important, then the best course of action would be to view the original register.

[athacliath62]

Peter Kearney was baptised in Kingstown 1787, making him age 57 at marriage. Jane Toole was 55. She was a Catholic from Bray.
- - -

Kingstown didn't exist in 1787, it only came about after the harbour was built near the old village of Dun Leary and the new town was named Kingstown after a Royal visit in 1821. Before the Catholic church was built in the town the parish was much larger and the parish church or chapel was probably the one at Cabinteely.