During the American Civil War a group emerged in England that was sympathetic to the cause of the Southern Confederacy States. The Southern Independence Association was founded on 9 April 1864[1] and even went as far as trying to get a bill through the British Parliament that called for the British Government to intervene on behalf of the Confederacy.[2] A list of members was printed in the Manchester Guardian newspaper and reprinted in The New York Times in May 1864. Among the names are a number of the Irish based aristocracy, including a member of one of the main landed gentry families of Paulstown. The entry reads:
William Flood, Esq., J.P., Paulstown Castle, Gowran, Kilkenny, Ireland
[1] Author Unknown, Our English Friends in The New York Times, 7 May 1864, p.8 ProQuest Historical Newspapers http://www.proquest.com accessed 18 July 2011
[2] Bateman, Tom. Really Neutral on BBC Radio 4 Website, 2 October 2010; available online at http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_9054000/9054041.stm : accessed 18 July 2010.
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