Off to Prison!

Cork City Goal
Source

Not all of the Cork Gowens were always the model citizen. The prison records provide some interesting snippets of bad bahaviour, including punishment for drunkeness and assault.

Happily that type of behaviour is now rare....(well the 'assault' part anyway).


In the records that I have come across, it is notable that a number of names reappear over the years; some of these may well be different people with the same (or similar) names - but others are clearly regular repeat offenders!

There are records of imprisonments for Cork County Prison (I don't have any further details):

• William Gowen in 1854
• Ellen Gowen in 1871
• Nanl (sic) Gowen in 1873
• Laurence Gowen in 1893
• Laurce (sic) Gowen in 1900
• Michl Gowen in 1903
• Bridget Gowen in 1903
• Lawrence Gowing in 1904

Irish Prison
Source

In 1907 there is a record of the imprisonment of Laurence Gowen and Bridget Gowen at the local Fermoy (Bridewell) Prison.                   

In 1908, there seems to have been a kerfuffle in Cork:

• Cornelius Gowan (sic) of 10 Spring Lane, Cork - birthplace and age not given - was imprisoned for assault - this might be the father of 'Gully' Gowen of the Youghal Gowens, although the 1911 census gives his address as 16 Spring Lane..
• In the same year, Maurice Gowan (sic) of the same address, age 21, born in Ballyhooly (in 1887?) was also convicted for assault. This was probably Cornelious' son, who was recorded in the 1911 census as a barman.

Something dramatic seems to have happened also in the following year (1909), according to the records of Cork County Goal (now part of the University College Cork campus):

• Michael Gowen, aged only 17, born (in 1892?) and living in Ballyhendon was jailed  for assault
• Another Michael Gowen, aged 58, living in Ballyhendon (born 1851?) was also jailed for assault. The name of Bgdt (Bridget?) Gowen is associated with this record (reference to Bally Lindon is presumably a spelling mistake).
• Finally, Laurence Gowen, aged 21 (born 1888?) and living in Ballyhendon also jailed for assault. His record is linked to that of one of the Michaels above. There is a further record for both of them in 1910.

Bridget Gowen appears again in 1910 in Cork County Prison.

Then, a fun-loving couple (it seems?):

• In 1906, there are records of the imprisonment of Lawrence Gowing and Abina Gowing at Cork County Prison
• In 1910, Laurence Gowing (sic) and Abina Gowing are mentioned as being imprisoned for being 'drunk and disorderly. Laurance's age is given as 47 (born 1863? in Ballyhooly), living in Cross St., Fermoy; no further details are given for Abina.
• A few years later, in 1914, the same couple (probably) seem to have been at it again: Laurence Gowen, aged 51, born in Ballyhooly and living in Fermoy, was jailed for drunkeness. The name Abina Gowen also is associated with this record.