About the collection
This collection of late 19th century photographs, captured by amateur photographer Gustavus Handcock of Coolbrook, Wellingtonbridge offers a unique insight into the domestic lives of a middle-class, farming family in rural County Wexford while also providing glimpses of domestic staff, local labouring people, historical sites and trading activities. Many of Handcock’s photos depict farming practices in south County Wexford during the period, including threshing with many equine images interspersed throughout.
As such, it is an important collection for those interested in transport, housing, leisure, commercial, agricultural and social life in south-west County Wexford.
The main compendium of photographs, known as The Jack and Peggy Handcock Collection, was deposited in Wexford County Archive in 2023 by Gus’s grandnephew, Jack Handcock and Jack’s late wife, Peggy who served as fitting custodians of Handcock’s legacy for many years. This collection also contains a number of carte-de-visite and studio photographs of the Handcocks’ circle, as well as archival material from Gus Handcock and his ancestors including a copy of Rev Thomas Handcock’s Narrative of the Battle of Enniscorthy on 28th May 1798 which was transcribed by Gus, a hand-drawn map dated 1841 detailing the townland of Colebrook and material belonging to Georgina Handcock, Gus’s niece.
A smaller collection of Gus Handcock photographs from another private source – the Breen collection – was deposited in Wexford County Archive in June 2024 and is included in the image gallery. A third important source is the Scanlan collection in which a small number of Handcock family photographs were found. Single images from Handcock’s lens that were lost following reproduction in various publications have also been captured in this project.
The photographic gallery has been sorted, arranged, inventoried and digitised by Monica Wallace whose family home was at Coolbrook Cottage, Wellingtonbridge, adjoining what was once the Handcock farm. The collection is broken down into three distinct locations – family and farming images taken at Colebrook House; other photographs taken in the environs of the parish of Bannow; and photographs taken elsewhere in County Wexford and beyond.
This project was in receipt of partial funding under the Creative Communities strand of Creative Ireland in 2023.
About Gus Handcock
Born Gustavus Frederick Handcock in 1847, Gus Handcock was raised in Bray, Co. Wicklow. He became a clerk in the Public Record Office in London and worked there for all his life, eventually rising to the rank of Assistant Keeper. His major achievement in that role was as an editor of the five-volume Calendar of Documents Relating to Ireland 1171-1307. His parents and his younger brother, John Little Handcock, moved to Colebrook House and farm, Wellingtonbridge, in c. 1870, and Gus would join them there during long summer holidays with his wife, Lucy, and son, Forbes. It was during those holidays, between the years of 1880 and 1910, that Gus captured many wonderful images of his family, their social circle, local scenes, monuments and people. Although strictly an amateur photographer, his photographs demonstrate an artistic eye as well as an appreciation of changing times worth recording. Gus fell ill during a visit home and died in the Mater Hospital in January 1912. He is buried in Balloughton cemetery, Bannow.
View the collection online (via Canto link) – COMING SOON!