Clifden Poor Law Union, Minute Book, 1857-1858
Includes:-
-‘A woman named Peggy O’Donnell went out on pass and did not return, she left her child, 3 years, in the workhouse’ (13 Jan 1858, p7).
-‘That Biddy Mongan, an inmate of the Workhouse Infirmary called for the R.C. Chaplain on last Thursday night, she being in a dangerous state. He (the Master) sent for Chaplain and she then stated she wished her religion to be changed from Protestant to Roman Catholic’ (17 Feb 1858, p7).
-‘Read letter from Porter of Workhouse requesting the Board would allow him some meat, as he is the only Officer now in the Workhouse who is not allowed meat ration.
Ordered that he get 4lbs of meat weekly’ 17 Dec 1858, p9).
-‘Ordered that the Commissioners be requested to send a Clerk from their office to close the old Union a/cs, which it is hoped will be done in a few weeks by the aid of the Union Clerk, who will be directed to give his undivided assistance to aid the Commissioners’ Clerk, as the Union is still [___] poor’ (14 Jul 1858, p9).
-‘Medical Officer reports that the clothes worn by Thomas Early (a boy who was taken out of the Workhouse some time since by a man named Luke King) are in such a state of filth, and dirt and vermin that they ought to be at once burned as they are dangerous to the inmates of the workhouse. I have also to draw the attention of the Board to the miserable state this boy came into the House, half starved, and covered with vermin from head to foot, the Board should take steps to prosecute the person who treated the unfortunate boy in this manner’.
‘Ordered that the clothes be burned and that the Master be directed to have information sworn in this case and the party treating the boy so cruelly prosecuted according to law’. (28 Jul 1858, p7).
-‘The Master reports that on the morning of the 29th ult a child apparently about a week old was brought to the Workhouse by a Policeman and a woman who stated she found the child near a cock of hay in Ardbear that morning.
I request the Board will inform me what name he is to be called and what religion etc.
Order that the child be baptised by the name of Anthony Hay by the Roman Catholic Chaplin’ (4 Aug 1858, p7).
-Includes list of contractors for various articles, such as pepper, rice, sugar, starch, tea, soap (29 Sept 1858, p9).
-‘Resolved that the thanks of this Board are due and hereby tendered to Mr McDermott of the PLC office, Dublin for the very satisfactory and businesslike manner in which he has brought the a/cs of the former Clifden Union to a close as well as for the courtesy with which he has explained the different items comprised in these and the other a/cs of the Union’ 13 Oct 1858, p9).
-‘Read letter from Secretaries of National Education forwarding extracts from Inspector’s reports;
The teacher’s qualifications are middling and her method of conducting the school is pretty fair.
The numbers in the school are very small and the children, with one or two exceptions are very young and nearly all in first and second works.
The new teacher appears to be more careful and anxious for the children’s improvement than her predecessor, though much inferior in literacy attainment and I have to observe that sufficient attention is not paid by the proper officer to the cleanliness of the boys who are allowed to retire to bed for a week or more without washing their feet’ (17 November 1858, p9).
-‘That M. Evans having asked for her discharge with her four children and being now in the workhouse for over three years and having no clothing of their own that a sum of 15/0 be allowed to purchase five suits of clothes for them’ (1 Dec 1858, p9).