| After he had founded the Catholic Committee, in February 1760, with
Charles O'Conor and Dr. John Curry, Wyse developed a plan that all
members throughout the country would pay a small, regular, subscription
(the forerunner of O'Connell's Repeal-rent) but his plan was scuppered
by the Catholic bishops who would not co-operate. This, together
with feuding between the principals, made the Committee almost moribund
by 1763.
Wyse became notorious because of his pranks. One of the Penal
Laws effectively forbade any Catholic from owning a horse worth more
than five pounds - the actual law stated that if a Protestant offered a
Catholic £5 for a horse, the Catholic was obliged to sell it. In
protest against this law, "Bullocks" Wyse once harnessed a
team of bullocks to draw his carriage through the streets of the city,
thus earning for himself the humorous nickname. Another of his
deeds to gain him notoriety was when he had the audacity to remove one
of the gates to the city because he felt that it restricted access to
his estate just outside the city. One Sunday morning when the city
Corporation was at service in Christchurch Cathedral, Wyse had his
estate workers remove the gate. Despite these escapades, Wyse was
a far-seeing businessman who was imbued with the spirit of the
technological revolution then in full flow in Waterford.
The coming of the Huguenots to the city in 1693 after the 'Revocation of
the Edict of Nantes' had fostered this revolution. The manufacture
of linen became a staple of the city's industry; a sailcloth factory was
established in 1713 and, in 1746 there were several linen factories in
the city. In 1761 over 1,400 men, women and children were employed
in spinning, weaving, spooling, skeaning, bleaching and flax growing and
preparing. There was a bleach green for thread at Ballytruckle and
another for linen at Smithvale, three miles from the city.
'Bullocks' wrote, in 1770, "I have laid out a considerable part
of my annual income these twenty years past and upwards to introduce
sundry manufactures not before attempted in this kingdom." He established a copper smelter near the city in 1747. From Pouldrew to Bonmahon he engaged in "smithing iron and other
works" and copper mining. With some philanthropic intent
he expanded his plant at Waterford to include granaries, a bakehouse, a
starchyard, a windmill and a manufactory for japanned wares. In
the 1750's he established a hardware factory in Waterford but it failed
despite a grant (surprisingly) of £4,000 from the English Parliament.
Sources (partly): O'Connor,
Emmett, "A Labour History of Waterford", Waterford
Trades Council, 1989 and the Pedigree of the Wyses of Waterford, by William Charles Bonapart Wyse |
Down
through the centuries the Wyse family had shown a remarkable ability to
hold on to their lands and money. They escaped the main rigours of the
Penal Laws although remaining steadfast to their Catholic religion. Thomas
"Bullocks"
Wyse, b. 1701, d.1770, the great-grandfather of Sir Thomas Wyse, was a
larger-than-life character. ''Bullocks'' married Elizabeth Bourne
and they had six children; Richard (known as 'The Protestant'), Ann,
Francis, John (Sir Thomas' grandfather), Charlotte (who became a Dominican
nun) and Margaret. ''Bullocks'' lived in France for quite a long time and
he had two sons in the Irish Brigade of the French Army. Wyse was
impetuous and easily roused. He was no intellectual and he was a
compulsive organiser.