Clifden Poor Law Union, Minute Book, 1862
Includes:-
-‘Ordered That from this day forth we strictly order that any woman within the walls of this house having a bastard child shall not be placed in any office, or hold any supervision in any department whatsoever, under suspension of the Officer who shall so place her’ (f15).
-‘In consequence of the fearful increase of applications for admission into this workhouse of women with illegitimate children and the fact of such women in many cases having more than 2 illegitimate children, I will on this day fortnight propose a Resolution that our county members be called on to bring such facts before parliament with a view to amend the Laws relative to the support of illegitimate children’ (15 Jan 1862, f25).
-‘Master begs leave to state there is neither turf nor coal in the House for the coming week...’ (f34).
-‘Order. That a temporary shed be erected in [____] yard to be used as a privy and the Master cautioned to see to the sanitary condition of the House in future…’ (f55).
-Letter from the Relieving Officer, Con King to the Board relating to the administering of ‘outdoor relief to parties in the Island of Bofin. I regret that any answer I might have given to Dr Brodie on this subject should have led the commissioners to consider that I was not cognisant of the powers I possessed as Relieving Officer. I was aware of the [extent] to which I might go but it is so long since outdoor relief has been administered in this Union and there being plenty of room in the Workhouse I offered it in the first instance but I would by no means take a person to the Workhouse that I considered would be inured by the removal or required immediate assistance and I will take care in future to attend to this matter strictly’ (f115).
- ‘Ordered that the Workhouse rules with regard to mothers and their children be strictly carried out from this forth. That any child two years and upwards to be kept entirely apart from their mothers under pain of dismissal to the Officer whose duty it will be to attend to this order’ (f145).
-Complaint about the neglect of the Relieving Officer, P Joyce, of the Cleggan and Letterfrack districts, relating to the case of ‘Thomas Coneys deceased and that of Myles King, Cleggan’. In the case of Coneys it was reported that Joyce ‘admitted the deceased to be so weak that he could not be safely removed and still refused to give him any nourishment whatsoever saying he had no power to do so until he would first represent the case to the Board. I have heard with regret that on being pressed for some relief for the sick man he remarked that he was so weak that it was useless to give him anything’.
Following enquiry the Board found that the RO had ‘acted rightly’ (ff146-147).
-‘Master reports that two boys John Grehan and Peter West both deserted from Workhouse through the boys dayroom windows between 8 and 9 o’clock am on yesterday….This morning the Head Constable sent for him (Master) to accompany him to the Rev M D’arcy (of the Mission schoolhouse) where the boys were and given up to the police’ (f183).
-‘Resolved that finding the cost of paupers in this House being considerably more than it is in other unions around us and also finding that the rates are equally high we request the Commissioners will send us a competent officer to go over the accounts of the Union and inform the Board as to how the cost of paupers as well as the rates can be so high the Board consent to pay a reasonable sum for so doing’ (f215).
-Discharge of Bridget Mullen and her child (f224)
-Discharge of Annie Toole (f224).