Galway Poor Law Union, Board of Guaridans Minutes, 1849-1850

Includes:

-‘Poor Law Commissioners letter of the 25 August in reference to the paupers proposed to emigrate from the Workhouse to Australia and enclosing a consent to be signed by the vice Guardians after the selection shall have been made by Lieutenant Henry’.
Resolved, that the Vice Guardians are deeply alive to the advantages which would result to grown orphan girls by enabling them to emigrate to one of the British Colonies where they might be in a position to support themselves by their own labour and the Vice Guardians would gladly carry out the wishes of the Commissioners but they are at present totally destitute of funds except the grants advanced by Government for the support of the destitute poor persons and they have therefore no means for providing the necessary outfit unless the Commissioners permit them to appropriate a portion of such advances to this purpose’ (31 Aug 1849, p8).

-‘Lieutenant Henry, R.N. Emigration Agent attended at the workhouse on Saturday the 1^st September and inspected the female orphans from 15 to 18years of age with a view of selecting therefrom such a number of persons not exceeding thirty as shall be considered eligible emigrants to Australia’ (31 Aug 1849, p10a).

-‘Letter from the Poor Law Commissioners relative to the arrangements for providing an outfit for the female orphans proposed to be sent as emigrants to Australia.
Ordered that the Commissioners be informed that the Vice Guardians hope to be in a position to provide the necessary outfit out of the rates so as to enable the parties selected to sail in the vessel which will depart on the 22^nd October and that the probable number of eligible persons who will be chosen is 25’ (14 Sept 1849, p26).

-‘The form of consent accompanying the Commissioners’ letter of the 26 August to assist in the Emigration of 25 female orphans from the Galway Workhouse, the expense not to exceed 6d in the pound on the net annual value of the division to which they were chargeable was duly filled and signed by the Vice Guardians’ (5 Oct 1849, p59).

-‘Poor Law Commissioners letter of 10^th October 1849 No. 64829M/49 on the subject of the proposed Emigration of orphan girls from the Workhouse to Australia and stating that the ship which has been chartered to convey the 25 emigrants to Sidney (sic) will receive her passengers at Plymouth on the 22^nd instant and stating that the parties should be in Dublin at 11 o’clock on Saturday the 20^th. Ordered that Arrangements be made for forwarding the emigrants so as to arrive in Dublin on the day named’ (12 Oct 1849, p66).

-Payment of £39.05.0 to Edward O’Shaughnessy, for emigration expenses to Dublin (p84).