Mountbellew Poor Law Union, Board of Guardian Minutes, 1853

Includes:-

-‘…suggesting the discontinuance of the services of the Protestant Chaplain to the Union Workhouse, on the ground tat there are only two Protestants in the workhouse, and forwarding for the information of the Board of guardians a copy of a letter which the Commissioners addressed to the Reverend Mr Leahy, on the 5^th instant, and also stating that the Commissioners have received a letter in reply, from which it appears that the Parish Church is more than three miles distant from the workhouse, and that one of the Protestant Inmates of the workhouse is an old infirm person who has not long been out of the sick wad, and who could not be sent to church’ (p9, 20 May 1853; see also pp11, 49, 51, 71, 91, 109, 171).

-‘Read Letter from Willian Cruise Esq offering to advance £6 towards enabling Mary Broderick, and her three children, all inmates of the workhouse to emigrate to America, where her husband is at present, provided the Guardians would give an equal amount out of the Rats of the Castleblakeny Division to which she is chargeable, to be applied to sending her off…’ (p11, 20 May 1853, see also pp69-71, 89, 108 ).

-‘Read letter from Mr Gibson, stating that he expected to have no difficulty in sending off the Workhouse Girls selected for Emigration to Quebec, without much delay.
Resolved that a cheque be this day drawn for £80 in favour of the Master of the Workhouse for emigration purposes - the sum of £1 for each of the proposed emigrants to be forwarded out of this amount to A C Buchanan, Esquire, Government Emigration Agent at Quebec to be given by him to the Emigrants on landing there’ (GPL4/6, p29,  27 May 1853).

-‘That Patrick Whyte be appointed Tailor at the workhouse at 8/- per week’ (p31, 27 May 1853).

-Emigration account indicates £62.17.1 was paid to Hugh Mullarky and £3.5.1 to John Crowe for ‘Clothes for Emigrants’ (GP4/6, p46, 3 June 1853; see also pp50, 185).

-‘The Master reported that he had Ellen Ryan and Bridget Mulrey sent to Gaol for cutting up a shift, the property of the Union and making other articles of it for their own use, approved’ (p67).

-‘Read letter from Mr Gibson stating that in the event of his failing to procuring a vessel in Limerick to convey the emigrants to Quebec, he hoped the Guardians would allow him to embark the girls at Dublin, an arrangement which would be cheaper than having them sent to Limerick.
Ordered: That Mr Gibson be informed that the Board will not object to the Girls being embarked at Dublin’ (p73, 10 Jun 1853).

-‘Ordered: That the clerk write to Mr Gibson contractor for conveying the girls to Quebec, stating that unless he has them convey at once the Board will instruct their Solicitor to take proceedings against him’ (p127, 1 Jul 1853).

-‘Report of works done during the week ended 2 July 1853:
- 33 yards lien and 15 yards calico woven by 2 men and 7 boys
- 2 coffin, 6 lime brush handles and shelves made by 2 men who were one day sowing
- 2 pairs men’s shoes 1 pair boys shoes mad and 2 pairs shoes repaired by 1 man and 6 boys
- 3 pairs boys trousers, 2 boys coats 2 boys vests, 4 men’s trousers and 1 cap made and 6 pairs boys’ trousers
- 9 lbs flax and 8 ½ lbs [  ] spun by 12 women and 16 girls
- 2 women’s shifts, 13 aprons, 21 girls’ shifts, 10 girls’ frocks, 7 gowns, 26 bibs, 4 boys’ shirts, and 5 women’s caps repaired by 3 women and 40 girls who also knitted 20 pairs stockings’ (p147).

-PLC forward sealed copy of an ‘Order fixing the salary of the Revd Mr Leady, as Protestant Chaplain of the Workhouse, at £10 a year’ (pp148-149).

-‘a cheque be drawn in favour of the Master for £201.0.10 being the amount of contract for conveying 52 young girls from the workhouse to Quebec’ (GPL4/6, p190, 22 Jul 1853).

-‘The Master reported that he had given 1lb white bread to each of the 52 young girls on the occasion of their leaving the workhouse for Quebec, and he prayed the Board’s sanction to his having done so.  Approved’ (p207, 28 Jul 1853).

-‘Read letter from John F Browne Esq, offering to send Catherine Leonard an inmate of the workhouse to America provided the Board would defray half the expenses out of the rates of the Division (Caltra) to which she is chargeable…’ (p408, see also p429).