Archives holding poor law records in the uk and ireland information on the location of records for a particular institution are given at the end the individual web pages for location. May 15, 2015 during irelands war of independence, squads of rebels would burst into the old workhouse buildings to torch the records, so that any evidence of their families past shame were destroyed. Last time i wrote about the great collections at the limerick city library and the great tweets by the local studies team. Dublin poor law union board of guardians minute books browse. Much of the original buildings have now been demolished. Because of this, you may often see references to pre1834 and post1834 records. For poor relief and workhouse records, 1834 marks a significant change. Pdf tracing the history of the irish poor law, its treatment of deaf people, and the. To view these, use the workhouse locations section of the side menubar, or use the search box at the top of this page. The national archives of ireland hold the admission and discharge registers for the north and south dublin union workhouses naibg78 and naibg79. The irish famine of the 1840s had a dramatic effect both on the population within ireland and the populations of countries such as the us, the uk and.
People applying for admission to the workhouse came from many different backgrounds, entered the workhouse for a variety of reasons and stayed for varying periods of time. May 21, 2015 records revealing the plight of workhouse inmates in ireland have been made available online. Irish workhouse records hit the web who do you think you. Historically many types of special social care had been provided in the capital, the dublin foundlings hospital for example, took in children from all over ireland until 1834. I am wondering if there are records of admission or similar records and information for those who spent time at the poor house in enniscorthy, wexford which i can possibly get a copy of. The workhouse has been described as the most feared and hated institution ever established in ireland. Workhouse staff a report to the house of commons in 1851 on the kilrush and ennistymon poor law unions consisted of four parts. Workhouses sometimes referred to as poor houses were places where the poor and destitute could go to live. Once inside the inmates were forced to work, food was poor, and accommodation cold, damp and cramped. List of irish poor law unions jump to navigation jump to search. During irelands war of independence, squads of rebels would burst into the old workhouse buildings to torch the records, so that any evidence of. Alternatively, an excellent website for conducting a free online ancestry search of workhouse records institutions. This hospital is administered by the sisters of st. I would also like to know an address for this institution if possible.
The dublin workhouse admission and discharge registers dating from 1840 and running up to 1919 are held in the national archives and have been digitised and indexed and can be accessed on findmypast. I would be greatful for any information regarding the workhouse in tullamore. Monaghan has been restored into a community resource centre which provides offices, meeting rooms and training facilities for rent along with the following services. The records sometimes include details of individual paupers and workhouse staff. The workhouse was introduced into ireland as part of the english paw law system in 1838. A typical day inside the workhouse was to rise at 6am, breakfast at 6. From my research, the next mention of my 3x great grandparents address is templeshannon, enniscorthy on another childs birth certificate in 1868. The first authoritative figure for numbers of workhouses comes in the next century from the abstract of returns made by the overseers of the poor, which was drawn up following a government survey in 1776. Galway heritage, irish history, portumna workhouse south. In scotland, they were usually known as poorhouses. Posts about limerick union workhouse written by aine. Nov 16, 20 as disease was rampant in the workhouse, especially during famine times. At that time the population of ireland was approximately twice the. These records provide a fascinating insight into the social care provided for.
Also, according to the information found at the thomastown workhouse site, the former workhouse structure today is being used to care for the elderly. The north and south dublin workhouses provided more than just refuge for the absolute destitute of the city. To date, the whereabouts of the records of the board of guardians of portumna workhouse is unknown. Decades after their mass closure by the new irish free state, communities are pulling together to save their local workhouse.
The extension of this to ireland was received with the utmost hostility in numerous and influential quarters, and in galway and mayo the powers of the law had to be invoked to enforce. Search and download records of over 20 poor law unions in discovery, our catalogue. What records will i not find in the online catalogue. The collection dates from 1839 and each book covering a six month period is indexed alphabetically, so it is easy to search for admissions under a particular surname. Workhouse records completed offaly kings rootschat. Records of the poor in ireland are found in board of guardian minutes, in workhouse registers, and in the british parliamentary papers unpublished.
People entering milford workhouse were from different religious denominations, although the majority were roman catholics. Antrim, ballycastle, ballymena, ballymoney, belfast, larne, lisburn. Carrickmacross workhouse, heritage building situated in irelands ancient east, in the barony of farney, co. My search in volumes bg14g4 and 5 in the public records office of northern ireland proni was principally for those earl grey orphans who left enniskillen workhouse on 3 october 1849 en route to plymouth to join the diadem, and those who would leave on the 26th of. But for the six counties of northern ireland they are held in the public records office in the titanic centre in belfast. The workhouse was the most feared institution in 19th century dublin. Dublin workhouse records timeline irish genealoly blog. The earliest known use of the term workhouse is from 1631, in an account by the mayor of abingdon reporting that wee haue erected wthn our borough a workehouse to sett poore people to. In july 1848 my gg grandmother, mary martin, aged 14 was a famine orphan residing in a workhouse. Dublin workhouse records nicola morris birth and baptismal records, genealogical sources, institutions the admission and discharge registers for three of the four dublin workhouses have just appeared on. Search and download records of over 20 poor law unions in discovery, our catalogue charges apply, using names, place names or occupations as search.
My 3x great grandparents has their address on their childs baptism record in april 1846 being poor house. The plan which finally found favour with the government of lord melbourne was the adoption of the then new english workhouse system, established in 1834. The workhouses in the north and south dublin unions were among the busiest in the country. Many of the inmates were seeking medical or maternity care and the admission and discharge registers will usually state the medical complaint of the inmate, indicating the. Date admitted or when born in the workhouse date of death or discharge these are perhaps our most poignant records, illustrating the suffering of the poor in the lists of names of those admitted to this institution, not only in famine times but throughout the 19th and early 20th century.
This entry was posted in galway, irish history and tagged irish workhouse, portumna workhouse on august 28, 20 by dr. Sligo workhouse admission and discharge registers 18481859. Antrim, ballycastle, ballymena, ballymoney, belfast, larne, lisburn armagh. Free online ancestry search workhouse records for free. Findmypast has added the dublin workhouse admission and discharge registers, 18401919 to its database, placing online for the first time what appears to be some 1. Census records for england and wales 18411911 search for a person on the census in england and wales 1841 to 1911. This could not be done through diet, for a diet worse or less palatable than that of. Irish workhouse records trevos irish famine orphans. Workhouses category the irish archives genealogy links. The website also hosts links to local records, names of staff and officials, inmate lists, commissioners reports and many photographs. I am interested in the records of the castleblayney, carrickmacross, clones and monaghan workhouses. These registers can be very useful, albeit sobering, records to consult. I say what appears to be as there has been no official announcement to mark the arrival or provide details of this collection. The workhouse system evolved in the 17th century, allowing parishes to reduce the cost to ratepayers of providing poor relief.
Archives holding poor law records in the uk and ireland. Citizens information, employment services, adult education training courses, childcare, local history research. A list of all of the workhouses in existance in ireland during the 19th and early part of the 20th century, together with details of who you should contact for further information as to the whereabouts of original workhouse registers. Gerald balfour, at the 1901 census, the population of the union was 53,718 with 18 officials and 403 inmates in the workhouse.
In general, it is necessary to consult traditional hard copy catalogues to older 19 th and early 20 th century material held in the national archives. A return of the deaths in both workhouses, their hospitals, infirmaries and auxiliary workhouses from 25 march 1850 until 25 march 1851. Most of these workhouse records are now held in county record offices and libraries in the republic of ireland. Though it was to be avoided at all costs, harsh times drove many of the citys poor through its doors. High levels of poverty in 19th century ireland meant that hundreds of thousands of irish people passed through the workhouses. My search in volumes bg14g4 and 5 in the public records office of northern ireland proni was principally for those earl grey orphans who left enniskillen workhouse on 3 october 1849 en route to plymouth to join the diadem, and those who would leave on the 26th of the same month to join the derwent. Posts about irish workhouse records written by trevor mcclaughlin. The killarney books represented just four years of meetings, while the limerick collection spans nearly eighty years and the entire life of the limerick workhouse. Conditions of entry into the workhouse were strict and entry was seen as the very last resort of a destitute person. Does anyone know if records survive for circa 1899. The dublin workhouses were among the largest in ireland and took in people from.
In return, they were cut off from the rest of society and forced to work a minimum of 11 hours per day. She was selected to travel to south australia on the ship roman emperor which departed from plymouth on 27 july 1848. The workhouse was an institution which operated in ireland for a period of some 80 years, from the early 1840s to the early 1920s. The deaths given below for the kilrush workhouse include the deaths in thekilrush auxiliaries and hospitals. This act divided the country into a number of poor law unions each of which had a board of guardians and a workhouse. Houses of industry, the earlier name for workhousetype institutions, existed in ireland prior to the union of great britain and ireland in 1800, but it was the irish poor law act of 1838 that brought the workhouse system to ireland, creating an initial unions, a figure that rose to 163. Records revealing the plight of workhouse inmates in ireland have been made available online. The workhouse opened in 1852 and was closed in 1923. Workhouses board of guardians collection the boards of guardians were established under the poor law act, 1838. Navan workhouse the hard life the problems of the workhouse system, which many doubted nicholls could solve, was to discourage all but the destitute and desperate from entering. Available online for the first time dublin workhouse. Comparable changes took place in ireland in 1838, and in scotland in 1845. May 05, 2015 findmypast has added the dublin workhouse admission and discharge registers, 18401919 to its database, placing online for the first time what appears to be some 1.
Wexford workhouse frequently reffered to as the old hospital is situated on old hospital road in wexford town. Galway heritage, irish history, portumna workhouse. Susie kearley examines the history of the most feared and hated institution ever established in ireland, where people sought refuge from the dire poverty which was the lot of so many irish people in the nineteenth century. The workhouses and irish famine mortality request pdf. Houses of industry houses of industry, the earlier name for workhousetype institutions, existed in ireland prior to the union of great britain and ireland in 1800, but it was the irish poor law act of 1838 that brought the workhouse system to ireland, creating an initial unions, a figure that rose to 163.
The 1911 census of ireland returned 12 staff, the spouse of the workhouse master, 64 residents and 4 people classed as idiots and lunatics. Jul 22, 2016 the workhouse was the most feared institution in 19th century dublin. Derry workhouse, magherafelt, newtown limavady donegal. The british government saw the system as the most cost effective way of tackling the desperate state of poverty in ireland. The workhouses are a looming presence in irish cultural memory. May 18, 2012 a few months ago i featured the board of guardians minute books from the killarney union workhouse, so i was interested to see how these books compared. Next i would like to take a look at another member of the limerick city council family the limerick city archives of its extensive digital collection, the city archives website says. Return of deaths in kilrush workhouse, from 25 march 1850 to 25 march 1851. All irish workhouses were built to the english model, were designed by. The famine years of 18451850 were very severe and south sligo suffered like all other rural areas of ireland and disease was rampant due to.