Tuam Poor Law Union, 1839 - 1926 (with gaps)

The Tuam Board of Guardians was the governing body of Tuam workhouse and poor law union, which was established under the Poor Law (Ireland) Act, 1838. The Board was also responsible for the erection, maintenance and administration of a workhouse.  In addition to providing directly for the poor and the day-to-day administration of the workhouse, the poor law guardians gradually accumulated further responsibilities.  The Guardians became over time ‘the public sewer-makers, the custodians of burial grounds and wells, the constructors of waterworks, the proprietors of dwellings for labourers, the executors of compulsory vaccination laws and laws relating to the sanitation of dwellings and public nuisances, and the repositories of a number of other powers down to the muzzling of dogs and the slaughtering of diseased animals’ (Muldoon & G. McSweeny, G., A Guide to Irish Local Government Comprising an Account of the Law Relating to the Local Government of Counties, Cities and Districts, with a Full Explanation of the Act of 1898, (Dublin, 1898) Eason & Son, Ltd.).

This collection consists of an incomplete set of Board of Guardian minutes (47 volumes), together with several miscellaneous items, such as one of each of the following, Minutes of the Burial Board, a Contractors' Ledger, a Day Book, a Matron's book, a Medical record book, a Payment book, an Indoor & outdoor relief returns book, an Indoor relief register (1913-15), and a Superintendent's registration book.