Clifden Poor Law Union, Minute Book, 1858-1860
Includes:-
-‘The House appears clean and well ventilated. The paupers appear healthy... Also the food for healthy inmates is simply composed of water and oatmeal and it may be well to consider the propriety of using some coarse meat in its preparation which we have no doubt would tend to diminish the number of patients in the hospital at present’ (22 Jun 1859, p7).
-‘The following report was read from Medical Officer of Workhouse;
“My attention has been called to the attention in the dietary recommended by the Visiting Committee, that meat should be added to the soup on certain days in the week for the paupers generally, such as sheep’s heads, [calf’s] heads and other coarse parts. It would render the soup more nutritious and would diminish in some degree the numbers on the hospital wards, at present there are six persons on the hospital wards [___] them to enjoy a better dietary than the House affords [___ ] are aged and infirm, at the same time I would recommend that the aged and infirm do receive [___] bread and milk for breakfast in lieu of stir-about and white bread, and meat soup three or four times in the week for dinner, and white bread and milk the remaining days. On the whole it would be advisable to allow meat in the soup for the paupers in the body of the house generally on three or four days in the week. Of the 35 cases at present in Hospital, 31 [came into] the House sick and went direct to the Hospital.
I would also recommend the milk for classes 4, 5 & 6 for supper, as suggested in PLC’s letter of 4th inst…”’(6 Jul 1859, p9).
-‘Notice of Motion
“I hereby give notice that consequent upon the continued excessive high rates of this Union, which appear to be increasing instead of diminishing and over which I feel there is no control I or some other members competent to do so will on this day fortnight, move that an amalgamation of either Oughterard with this Union or this Union with Galway shall take place and the Commissioners be requested to give this important subject their kind consideration as most competent to assist us in this matter”, signed M. R. Hart’, (10 Aug 1859, p10).
-‘Notice of Motion
“I hereby give notice that I will on this day fortnight bring forward a resolution that all the women having bastard children in the House be questioned as to who is the father of same and that the names of said fathers be placed up on a conspicuous part of the Board Room over the fire place in large class writing and be kept always there for general information”’ (5 Oct 1859, p10).
-‘We have visited the House - the children’s schoolroom and dormitory - we are of opinion that from the great size of both [they] are too cold for the number of children in the school. We recommend that a partition be erected in each and that they be reduced to a suitable size for the number of children in them, which will make the rooms more compact, and warm. We also recommend that the floor in one of the temporary sheds which are now rotting and sinking into the earth be raised at once and that they be used in making partitions so required, this will save what remains of the boards from rotting and save considerable expense’ (22 Feb 1860, p6-7) (At that time there were 8 girls aged between 9-15 in the workhouse, 4 children between 5-9 and 10 between 2-5, and also 25 infants under 2 years.)
-‘Master reports that the infirm men in the workhouse at present are not able to work or discharge the dung from the dung pit. He would suggest the propriety of employing 3 or 4 men for one week and particularly if the Guardians intend on sowing potatoes in the laundry yard’ (21 Mar 1860, p7).