Castletown workhouse Board of Guardians (BG59)

Descriptive list of the archive of Castletown workhouse/poor law union Board of Guardians. Items are in hard copy and may be accessed by appointment.

Castletown Board of Guardians

Ref. IE CCCA/BG/59

Descriptive List

Cork City and County Archives

Table of Contents Identity Statement .............................................................................................................................................. 2 Context ................................................................................................................................................................2 Creator(s): .......................................................................................................................................................2 Archival History ............................................................................................................................................2 Administrative & Biographical History......................................................................................................2 Content & Structure ..........................................................................................................................................4 Scope & Content ...........................................................................................................................................4 Arrangement ..................................................................................................................................................5 Conditions of Access & Use ............................................................................................................................5 Allied Materials: .................................................................................................................................................. 5 Archivist’s Note : ................................................................................................................................................6 List of Items and Descriptions ........................................................................................................................7 1. Minute Books ......................................................................................................................................... 7 BG/59/A Castletown Board of Guardians Minute Books .........................................................7 BG/59/AA Board of Guardians Rough Minute Books ............................................................21 BG/59/AJ Castletown Dispensary District Minute Books.......................................................21

Castletown Board of Guardians

IE CCCA/BG/59

Reference Code:

IE CCCA/BG/59

Title:

Castletown Board of Guardians

Dates:

1849 – 1921

Level of description:

Fonds

Extent:

89 items

Context

Creator(s): Castletown Board of Guardians

Archival History The surviving records of the Castletown Board of Guardians were deposited in the Archives in the early 1980s.

Administrative & Biographical History The Castletown Board of Guardians was the governing body of Castletown workhouse and poor law union. Castletown Poor Law Union was established under the Poor Law (Ireland) Act, 1838. It was one of 16 unions in the overall County Cork area. Each union was centred on a city or market town and its hinterland, and this union area sometimes ignored existing parish or county boundaries. In this central town was situated the union workhouse (usually built between 1838 and 1852) which provided relief for the unemployed and the destitute. Castletown Board of Guardians first met on 29 October 1849. The Workhouse opened on 18 December 1850. The Castletown area had formerly formed part of the area of Bantry Poor Law Union, but two distinct unions were created in 1849. The area of the Castletown Union included the dispensary districts of Castletown and Kilcatherine. Castletown district contained dispensary houses at Castletown, Adrigole, and Bere Island. Kilcatherine district had dispensaries at Cahermore and Eyeries. Before Castletown workhouse was declared, inmates from the union area continued to be accommodated in Bantry workhouse, two-fifths of accommodation in Bantry being reserved for Castletown inmates, with the union liable for two- fifths of Bantry’s costs. A temporary workhouse was set up at Cametringane House near Castletown, rented from Lord Berehaven, until the new

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workhouse was completed. Numbers of inmates continued to be accommodated in Bantry until February 1851.

Each workhouse was managed by a staff and officers under the charge of a workhouse master, who reported to the board. Overall responsibility rested with the union's board of guardians, some of whom were elected, and some of whom were ex-officio members appointed usually from amongst local magistrates. The board appointed its own inhouse committees, and received reports from workhouse officers and from dispensary district committees and district medical officers. It also made resolutions on internal and poor law matters and, sometimes, on wider political or social issues. Poor law services were principally financed by a poor rate levied on property owners in the union’s districts, and collected by rate collectors appointed by the board. Central government also provided loans. Each union was under the central supervision of the Poor Law Commissioners up to 1874 and thereafter of the Local Government Board (later Local Government Board in Ireland). These government-appointed bodies received reports from the board and its officers, appointed inspectors and auditors, sanctioned or rejected proposed expenditure, appointments, and policies, and made the final decision on major administrative issues. On 11 October 1920 the board resolved to reject the authority of the Local Government Board in Ireland and to accept that of Dail Eireann. The responsibilities of the guardians increasingly encompassed public health, and to medical relief for the destitute at the workhouse amd ‘outdoor’ relief though a system of dispensary districts were added other functions including overseeing smallpox vaccinations, the boarding-out of orphan and deserted children, monitoring contagious diseases in animals, and providing labourers’ cottages an d improved sanitation. The workhouse buildings included an infirmary and a fever hospital. The workhouse also provided nursery care and education to child inmates, and employed school teachers. Hospital and other medical services were available to all, not just the poor, although the latter received free treatment when inmates, or through the system of tickets issued by relieving officers and medical officers. The guardians’ changing responsibilities were governed by legislation, including the Public Health (Ireland) Acts 1874 and 1878, Medical Charities Acts, Vaccination Acts, Dispensary Houses Act, the Nuisances Removal and Diseases Prevention Acts (1848-49), Contagious Diseases (Animals) Act 1878, and Labourers’ Acts (1883 -86). While these acts tended to increase the role of the board, the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 saw most of its public health functions taken over by the newly-created Cork County Council and the Castletown Rural District Council. The board continued to administer the workhouse and its hospital, and to supervise some forms of outdoor relief. In September 1918 the workhouse was occupied by the military, which remained until December 1919. Most inmates were discharged, those remaining being housed in the hospital. In March 1919 it was decided by the board that the workhouse would not reopen as such. Arrangements were made to transfer remaining inmates to Bantry workhouse. The hospital and the dispensary system continued to operate, although the fever hospital was closed in February 1921.

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The Local Government (Temporary Provisions) Act 1923 led to the abolition of the workhouse system, and its replacement with the formation of the county boards of health and public assistance. The last meeting of Castletown Board of Guardians took place on 8 May 1924.

Content & Structure

Scope & Content The surviving minutes of Castletown Board of Guardians cover almost the entire existence of that body, the only unfilled gap being for its final years from September 1921 until May 1924. Two other gaps in the main series of minutes (BG/59/A) are filled by the two volumes of ‘rough’ minutes present (BG/59/AA/1-2). The ordinary minutes include statistical information on workhouse inmates and details of workhouse life and administration. From the 1850s the volumes contain minutes of proceedings under the Medical Charities Acts and, from the 1870s, the Public Health Acts, documenting the board’s increasing role in health and sanitation, and the work of dispensaries and medical officers in the dispensary districts. Early minute books also record the difficulties involved in separating the union from that of Bantry, and in putting rate collection and the provision of services on a good footing. The other item present, the Castletown Dispensary Committee minute book, 1852-1892, sheds light on the provision of public medical services in a local context. Clinics, vaccinations, midwife services, and tickets for out door relief and admission to the workhouse were all managed locally and reported on to the board of guardians, which approved matters requiring sanction. Dispensaries in Adrigole and Bere Island are also documented. Taken altogether, the records trace the provision and development of poor law services in the area, including the treatment of the sick and those with mental illnesses, arrangements for children, out door relief and medical treatment (including vaccination) in dispensary districts, the challenges facing public health and sanitary provision, and the beginnings of the provision of labourers’ cottages. The minute books also shed light on dealings with other bodies including the PLC/LGB, the Office of Public Works, Castletown RDC, and Cork County Council. Subjects such as the end and aftermath of the Great Famine, local agriculture and rural ‘congestion’, emigration, and the local effects of World War One are also documented. In addition, some resolutions provide a glimpse of local issues, e.g., the resignation of a popular Catholic chaplain in 1919 [see BG/59/A/87].

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Arrangement The collection consists of series of minutes, including a large series of minutes of meetings of the board of guardians, two volumes of ‘rough’ minutes, and one volume of Castletown Dispensary committee minutes. The arrangement of Board of Guardian records is based on that devised for Poor Law records nationally by Sean McMenamin of the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (see Appendix 2 to McMenamin’s article in Irish Archives Bulletin Vol 1, No 2, October 1971). Please note that gaps occur.

Headings

1. Minute Books

A1- 88 AA1-2

Board of Guardian Minute Books

1849-1921 (86 items) 1874-75; 1894 (2 items)

Board of Guardians Rough Minute Books Castletown Dispensary Minute Book

AJ1

1852-1892 (1 item)

Conditions of Access & Use

Access : Open by appointment to those holding a current reader ’ s ticket.

Language: English

Finding Aids: Summary descriptive list.

Allied Materials:

Related Material

CCCA:

Board of Guardian records for other poor law unions in County Cork, esp Bantry (BG/43) Cork County Boards of Health and Public Assistance records, 1921-66 Castletown Rural District Council records, 1899-1925 Cork County Council records, 1899- (including rates valuation books)

Elsewhere:

National Archives of Ireland:

Archives of the Poor Law Commissioners Archives of the Local Government Board in Ireland Archives of the Department of Local Government

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Archivist ’ s Note: Timmy O Connor Local Government Archivist, CCCA May 2011

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List of Items and Descriptions

1. Minute Books

BG/59/A

Castletown Board of Guardians Minute Books

Scope and Content: A record of meetings and decisions made by the board of guardians in administering the workhouse and poor relief generally. At meetings, administrative, financial, rates, and medical books were examined, officers’ reports and committee findings heard, correspondence read and considered, and applications for admission decided on. Matters arising with regard to the workhouse, staff, provisions, bills, rate collection, the Poor Law Commissioners/Local Government Board, and other issues, were also discussed. The minutes also include weekly statistics of admissions, discharges, and deaths in the workhouse, and of outdoor relief. Gaps are indicated where they occur.

Date : 29 Oct 1849 – 8 May 1924 (Gaps)

Level : Series

Extent : 86 volumes

29 Oct 1849 – 10 May 1850

Includes:

29 October 1849 Resolutions appointing relieving officers to the No 1 district (electoral divisions of Adrigole and Curryglass), No 2 district (EDs Bere, Killaconenagh, Kilamanagh), and No 3 district (EDs Coulagh, Kilcatherine); Resolved, that Bantry union be informed that there are premises in Castletown ‘capable of containing four or five hundred paupers, which can be had in case there be a pressure on the Bantry Workhouse’. [Only four guardians present at the first meeting]

9 Nov 1849 Resolved, that the clerk advertise for tenders for suitable accommodation for paupers until the Castletown workhouse is completed.

14 Dec 1849 Resolved, that, in view of the PLC’s direction that Castletown union pay two fifths of the costs of running and maintaining workhouses in the Bantry union, that the latter union be asked to pay proportionally the costs of any temporary workhouses in the Castletown union; Resolved, ‘that the offer made on the part of Lord Berehaven of the house and offices at Cametringane as a temporary workhouse until the 1 st August

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1850 be accepted’.

21 Dec 1849 Resolution, in reply to a PLC letter, explaining that the temporary workhouse is 500 yards from Castletown, that it will accommodate 400 paupers, and setting forth the conditions of letting. 28 Dec 1849 Outdoor relief given to 113 persons [the first statistical return of relief recorded. Figures for workhouse relief begin to appear from 4 Jan 1850. It appears these figures include Castletown inmates in Bantry workhouse. See BG59/A/2 below] 4 Jan 1850 Letter read from the clerk of Bantry union regarding the value of property and goods ‘in reference to the adjustment of liabilities of the new unions of Bantry and Castletown’. 11 Jan 1850 PLC letter stating ‘the y are not able to authorise any advance from the funds for the building of a union workhouse, for the purpose of fitting up the temporary building’. Resolved, that advertisements be placed for supply of Indian cornmeal for the period up to 25 March ‘to be delivered at Adrigole, Iries, Castletown and Cahirmore and distributed according to the relieving officers’ tickets’. 18 Jan 1850 Resolution regarding the PLC’s refusal to sanction the appointment of Mr Spencer as clerk, owing to charges made by him against Mr Clarke, vice guardian of Bantry union, which they regard as ‘wholly unfounded’. The board note that Spencer produced testimonials from vice guardians including Clarke, and urge the PLC to reconsider, as they believe Spencer’s ‘long experience’ will assist them in dealing with ‘the present embarrassed state of the accounts of this union’. Resolved, that the commanding officer of the 3 rd Company of the 49 th Regiment at Thurles be informed that the wife of a private is a pauper inmate at Castletown, and that he be asked to seek to make provision for her expenses. 25 Jan 1850 Resolved, to ask PLC to permit paupers to be housed in the timber fever sheds, the workhouse being full, ‘as there has been no patients occupying them [ie, the sheds] for a considerable time, and as many of those poor creatures come a great distance and has to remain in town, awaiting the calmness of the weather and opportunity to be sent by boat to the Bantry workhouse’. [Total inmates this week: 609] Resolved, to request, ‘in conseq uence of the great distress which has for years past prevailed in this poor and remote district’, that the Royal Agricultural Improvement Society of Ireland consider appointing an instructor to ‘this remote union’. [See also 22 Mar 1850]

9 Mar 1850 Contra ctors declared for supply of ‘clothing, provisions, and other necessaries’, for two months, following examination of tenders.

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15 Mar 1850 Requested, that relieving officers ‘keep a sharp look out’ for ‘paupers receiving outdoor relief’ who are also ‘in th e habit of going about the country and demanding aid from ratepayers in the way of alms’. 28 Mar 1850 Noted, proposed adjourned meeting not held on this day ‘in consequence of the severity of the weather which rendered impossible the attendance of the two guardians resident in Bere Island, and the absence of another at the Cork assizes’.

5 Apr 1850 PLC letter sanctioning the appointment of a separate relieving officer for Bere Electoral Division.

19 Apr 1850 Resolutions appointing a medical officer to the auxiliary workhouse, and doctors as vaccinators for the various EDs. Resolved, ‘that for the future we decline advertising in any of the Cork papers... we consider that handbills posted in this town and in Bantry will be sufficient’. [See also 10 May 1850]

17 May 1850 – 3 Jan 1851

To t he ‘State of the Workhouse’ returns preceding the minutes a note is added breaking down numbers of inmates between Bantry and Castletown workhouses. E.g., in the return for 11 May 1850, of the 576 inmates, 95 are noted to be inmates of Castletown, 481 of Bantry. In the return for 13 July 1850, the following note is added, referring to the figure of 934 stated as the number of inmates for whom accommodation is provided: ‘This no is 2/5 of 2336 the amt of accommodation at present at the disposal of the Bantry board of guardians. The no at their disposal on the date of the ‘Reservation Order’ was 1800, but I think this union is entitle d to 2/5 of the former no’. Returns after this date note accommodation reserved for Castletown paupers in Bantry, the accommodation in the temporary workhouse at Castletown, and the numbers (of Castletown inmates) in each building [top left corner of the return; see 12 Jul 1850]. The new Castletown workhouse was declared on 18 December 1850, but the final inmates from Bantry workhouse were not transferred until February 1851 [See 3 Jan 1851 and BG/59/A/3 below, and BG/43 Bantry Board of Guardians]

Includes:

24 May 1850 Letter from a former rate collector of the Bantry union r egarding the PLC’s refusal to sanction his appointment to the Castletown union. He explains the circumstances relating to the grounds of their objection, namely that he ‘retained money in hands on two occasions’. Resolved, that Mr Lloyd, PLC inspector, be asked to select for admittance to the temporary workhouse 150 paupers of the union who are presently in Bantry workhouse. [On Lloyd’s death, see 26 Jun 1850]

5 Jul 1850 Master’ s report, setting forth ‘the general insubordination and disrespectful line of conduct pursued by the matron towards him for some

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time past’. [See also 12 July 1850]

12 Jul 1850 PLC letter ‘requesting that the amount of accommodation reserved in the Bantry Union for paupers from this union, and the number of paupers who are there, should in future be shewn in the return at the head of the minutes from this board’. [See note above and 3 Jan 1851 below]

26 July 1850 Resolved, to advertise for a schoolmistress, there being about 80 female children in the auxiliary workhouse.

16 Aug 1850 Ordered, that the clerk advertise for a master tailor ‘who will be required to instruct some of the pauper boys’ and who will cut out and superintend the making of men’s and boys’ clothing. 23 Aug 1850 Response to PLC letter forwarding an estimate of nearly £200 for furniture for the workhouse. It is explained that payment would reduce the board ‘to complete financial embarrassment’, reference being made to ‘the distressed state of the union’ and ‘the total failure of the people’s foods’. 6 Sep 1850 Resolved, that Bantry workhouse be directed to discharge able- bodied male paupers over 15, being unmarried or having only two dependents, and belonging to the ED of Killaconenagh ‘and send them to Mr William Gillman for employment’. [See also 20 Sep 1850] Ordered, that Bantry workhouse send t o Castletown 15 women ‘ and any girls from 9 to 15 who may be in the house’. 13 Sep 1850 Resolved, that in view of ‘the very great depression in the value of land ’ , a revisor of rates be appointed. Resolved, ‘that the b oard consider the average cost of the patients in Infirmary to be excessively high’, which they attribute to too many being placed on ‘extra diet’, that the medical officer be asked to take ‘such measures consistent with the health of the patients’ to redu ce costs. [See also 20 Sep] 20 Sep 1850 Resolved, that the salaries of relieving officers be reduced to £20 a year, and that a separate officer for Bere Island be discontinued, owing to ‘the stoppage of out door relief and the diminished distress in this union’. 27 Sep 1850 Ordered, ‘That John Sullivan and Margaret Crowley with their families be discharged from the workhouse, having received money from America’.

18 Oct 1850 Statement of charges preferred against the master by William Gillman, guardian. [See subsequent minutes]

1 Nov 1850 Letter from TW Payne, Castletown, read complaining of large crowds [of members of the public] attending early mass at the auxiliary workhouse. He notes: ‘this is most irregular and opens a door to plunder’.

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20 Dec 1850 PLC letter stating that the new workhouse is ready for occupation.

28 Dec 1850 PLC sealed order dated 18 December 1850 ‘declaring workhouse’. In consequence, paupers and goods have been removed from the auxiliary workhouse, and relieving officers are to see to the removal of paupers from Bantry workhouse. 3 Jan 1851 ‘State of the Workhouse’ return for the week to 28 Dec 1850 records 317 inmates in the Castletown workhouse, with a further 225 inmates in ‘Temporary Buildings’, to which the word ‘Bantry’ has been added. [See BG/59/A/3 below]

10 Jan 1851 – 1 Aug 1851

Notes below refer only to the final removal of Castletown inmates from Bantry workhouse. ‘State of the Workhouse’ returns from 15 Feb 1851 on no longer include inmates in Bantry.

Includes:

24 Jan 1851 Resolved, to accept Lord Berehaven’s offer of Cametringane house and out offices as an auxiliary workhouse for six months. Resolved, that a boat be despatched to collect the 16 inmates from Castletown union presently in Bantry workhouse. 7 Feb 1851 Resolved, that as it appears that there are still six inmates of the union in Bantry workhouse ‘notwithstanding there having been repeatedly sent for’, that the PLC be asked ‘to absolve this board from the payment of any portion of the establishment expenses of that union’. [The ‘State of the Workhouse’ return states that there are 757 inmates in the Castletown workhouse [which has accommodation for 600], 6 inmates in Bantry workhouse, 196 in the additional workhouse, and 141 in the fever sheds [which have accommodation for 50].

4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

8 Aug 1851 – 27 Feb 1852 5 Mar 1852 – 24 Sep 1852 1 Oct 1852 – 3 Jun 1853 10 Jun 1853 – 4 May 1854 11 May 1854 – 19 Oct 1854 26 Oct 1854 – 5 Apr 1855 12 Apr 1855 – 4 Oct 1855 11 Oct 1855 – 2 Oct 1856 9 Oct 1856 – 24 Sep 1857 1 Oct 1857 – 23 Sep 1858 30 Sep 1858 – 3 Nov 1859 10 Nov 1859 – 1 Nov 1860 8 Nov 1860 – 3 Oct 1861 10 Oct 1861 – 2 Oct 1862 9 Oct 1862 – 8 Oct 1863

10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18.

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19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32.

15 Oct 1863 – 29 Sep 1864 6 Oct 1864 – 21 Sep 1865 5 Oct 1865 – 27 Sep 1866 4 Oct 1866 – 26 Sep 1867 3 Oct 1867 – 24 Sep 1868 1 Oct 1868 – 23 Sep 1869 30 Sep 1869 – 22 Sep 1870 29 Sep 1870 – 21 Sep 1871 28 Sep 1871 – 26 Sep 1872 3 Oct 1872 - 25 Sep 1873 2 Oct 1873 – 24 Sep 1874 1 Oct 1874 – 23 Sep 1875

Missing [See BG/59/AA/1 below]

30 Mar 1876 – 22 Mar 1877

Ordinary minutes are followed by supplemental sheets containing minutes of proceedings under the Medical Charities Act and proceedings as the Sanitary Authority. Enclosures [inside back cover]: bank credit receipts for monies lodged by the union with the Munster Bank, October 1876. 7 items; Letter, 3 Aug 1876, from John Sullivan, Relieving Officer, regarding proceedings against defaulters under the Vaccination Acts [1p]

Includes:

30 Mar 1876 LGB letter regarding proposed waterworks for Castletown. The guardians ‘think that a pump or perhaps two pumps for the town will be quite enough’, and will raise the matter with the County Surveyor. [A recurring subject. See, e.g., 20 Apr, 15 Jun, 16 Nov 1876]

13 Apr 1876 Caretaker appointed to the new cemetery.

4 May 1876 LGB order consenting to the board defraying the expenses of emigrating to the USA of Johanna Sullivan, aged 14 years, inmate.

11 May 1876 Resolved, that sanitary officers and sub-officers be appointed medical officers of health and inspectors of nuisances within the meaning of the Sale of Food and Drugs Act, 1875. 18 May 1876 LGB letter referring to the recent favourable report of its inspector regarding the workhouse, but noting his comments regarding ‘a totally inadequate supply of milk’. [See also 30 Nov, when in another report the inspector suggests sufficient supplies could be obtained if the guardians di d not ‘deter’ people from tendering ‘by objecting to prices which in the present state of the butter trade should not be considered unreasonable’.

8 Jun 1876 Notice of motions, that the salary of the medical officer of

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Kilcatherine dispensary district be increased from £90 to £100, and that the officer be allowed reside in Castletown , it being ‘most convenient’ and as ‘the district itself is divided into two parts by a high mountain without any road and nearly impassable even to pedestrians in the day tim e’. [A recurring item. See also 22 Jun, when meeting to elect the medical officer, Dr Harrison, was disrupted, and 21 Sep. Harrison is medical officer at the Berehaven mines.] 22 Jun 1876 LGB letter regarding the proposal to allow the hospital nurse’s thr ee year old child to live with her. They express the view ‘that the care of so young a child would be likely to interfere with the mother’s attention to her duties as nurse’. 24 Aug 1876 LGB circular letter read referring to the act extending the limits of age up to which orphans and deserted children may be supported out of the workhouse, which received royal assent on 11 August. 2 Nov 1876 Sanitary officer’s report regarding ‘the disgracefully dirty state o f the premises of Mr John Merwick butcher situated near the police barrack Castletown’. [On 9 Nov the same officer reports ‘the dirty state of the street of Castletown’] 28 Dec 1876 Ordered, that the clerk inform the insurers, in reply to their query, that ‘there are no manufactures of any description carried on in the house at present’. 11 Jan 1877 LGB letter regarding the house’s use of tea and butter as a substitute for milk. They urge obtaining a satisfactory supply of milk, but in the meantime suggest one gallon of tea and eight ounces of butter in lieu of one gallon of milk. Other dietary suggestions are also made. 1 Feb 1877 Resolved, at a special meeting, ‘the guardians of this union decline to make this union contributory for the purpose of increasing the remuneration to the teachers of national schools for the reasons stated in the resolution of the 3 rd day of February 1876’. 8 Feb 1877 Observations in the chaplain’s book recorded, calling the board’s attention to the ‘slight and thin’ material from which the clothing of inmates is made, causing the old and infirm to be ‘cheerless and chilly’, and exposing even ‘robust constitutions’ to alterations in th e weather. 22 Feb 1877 LGB letter referring to the necessity of taking proceedings against 43 vaccination defaulters in the Kilcatherine Dispensary District, and noting that ‘smallpox may probably spread by sea to the port of Castletown or some of the harbours near that place and the guardians will incur serious responsibility if they do not take the necessary proceedings with a view to protect the people from this malady’.

33. 34.

29 Mar 1877 – 21 Mar 1878 28 Mar 1878 – 20 Mar 1879

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35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50. 51. 52. 53. 54. 55. 56. 57. 58. 59. 60. 61.

27 Mar 1879 – 18 Mar 1880 25 Mar 1880 – 17 Mar 1881 24 Mar 1881 – 16 Mar 1882 23 Mar 1882 – 15 Mar 1883 22 Mar 1883 – 13 Sep 1883 20 Sep 1883 – 13 Mar 1884 20 Mar 1884 – 11 Sep 1884 18 Sep 1884 – 12 Mar 1885 19 Mar 1885 – 10 Sep 1885 17 Sep 1885 – 4 Mar 1886 18 Mar 1886 – 9 Sep 1886 16 Sep 1886 – 10 Mar 1887 17 Mar 1887 – 8 Sep 1887 15 Sep 1887 – 8 Mar 1888 15 Mar 1888 – 6 Sep 1888 13 Sep 1888 – 7 Mar 1889 14 Mar 1889 – 5 Sep 1889 12 Sep 1889 – 6 Mar 1890 13 Mar 1890 – 4 Sep 1890 11 Sep 1890 – 5 Mar 1891 12 Mar 1891 – 3 Sep 1891 10 Sep 1891 – 3 Mar 1892 10 Mar 1892 – 1 Sep 1892 8 Sep 1892 – 2 Mar 1893 9 Mar 1893 – 1 Mar 1894 7 Sep 1893 – 1 Mar 1894

Missing [see BG/59/AA/2 below]

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62.

30 Aug 1894 – 21 Feb 1895

Ordinary minutes are followed by supplemental sheets containing minutes of proceedings under the Medical Charities Act and Public Health Acts, and by proceedings as the Rural Sanitary Authority. Many meetings are marked as not having been held owing to non-attendance of guardians, although statistical returns and some administrative fields are still completed for each week.

Includes:

30 Aug 1894 Letter from the inspector to the board under the Cattle Diseases (Ireland) Acts, 1878 to 1893, regarding a case of swine fever at Dunboy Castle. [A recurring item. See also 20 Sep, when notice was received of the new Diseases of Animals Act 1894 and orders under the act relating to rabies and swine fever. See also 31 Jan 1895, regarding the Markets and Fairs Swine Fever (Ireland) Order 1895] Board of Public Works letter regarding a loan of £500 to the board for waterworks. [See also 15 Nov and 27 Dec 1894] Medical officer’s report and memorial by seven inhabitants read regarding the need for a sewer to alleviate a cesspool in the village of Ardgroom. 20 Sep 1894 List of tenders accepted for the three month supply of food, drinks, and other goods. LGB letter referring to the recent inspection of dispensary districts and noting that the Kilcatherine Dispensary Committee have not been meeting regularly. 27 Sep 1894 Relieving officer’s report stating that the two orphans out at nurse in his district are ‘clean and well fed and clad and reg ularly sent to school and to their religious duties’. Extracts from the report of Dr Browne, medical inspector, relating to sanitary shortcomings in Castletown and Eyeries. [The report, and that of Dr Lyne, medical officer of Castletown Dispensary District, both draw attention to Castletown’s defective sewerage . See also, e.g., 18 Oct and 29 Nov 1894, when Lyne warns ‘if this state of things is allowed to go on an epidemic of typhoid or some other fever will probably be the result’ ]. 4 Oct 1894 Statements of account: Castletown Dispensary; Public Health; Superannuation; Cattle Diseases; Burial Grounds; Establishment; Collectors’ Poundage; and Invoice. LGB letter regarding provision of an ambulance for conveying persons to the workhouse hospital. 18 Oct 1894 LGB circular letter regarding the hiring out of pauper children, forwarding a form of application and agreement [forms not present]. Resolution forwarded to John Morley M.P. [Chief Secretary for Ireland], asking him to ‘grant the certificate for an industrial school’ sought by ‘the nuns in Castletownbere’, and asking him to take into account ‘the barrenness

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and poverty of the vast territory lying between Bantry on the south and Kenmare river on the north; that in said district there are 23 electoral divisions scheduled as congested, and that for the poor of this vast and barren region government has done nothing or next to nothing’. 29 Nov 1894 Letter from the Register General regarding the special inspection of the union’s register office and ‘strong closet’, and the recommendations made to ensure ‘the important records deposited in the custody of the superintendent registrar may be preserved from permanent injury’.

13 Dec 1894 Ordered, ‘that a Christmas dinner similar to the one provided last year, be procured for the inmates of the workhouse’.

3 Jan 1895 Resolution , in view of the fact that land occupiers ‘are generally unable, through poverty and the failure of the potatoe crop, to secure an adequate supply of seed potatoes’, notifying the LGB of th e board’s intention to apply for a loan to purchase seed potatoes,. The view is expressed that potatoes supplied under the Seed Acts 1890-91 were unsatisfactory, and that ‘a good may farmers who would otherwise be more than thankful to avail themselves of the provisions of a seed supply act will be very slow to do so if the seed be procured from the same counties again’. [See also 17 Jan, in which LGB explain that loans may not be given for purchase of seed ‘which has been grown in Ireland in or near a dist rict affected by the disease’. In response, the board resolve that they ‘are not prepared to take any but Scotch Grown Seed Potatoes ’. See also 31 Jan , containing seed inspector’s report]. 21 Feb 1895 Resolved, that a relieving officer be suspended, following letters from one of his sureties withdrawing from that role ‘under circumstances which have transpired latterly’. Deputation of the people of Trafask received, stating that they are ‘in a very destitute condition’ and requesting that construction of a boat slip in the townland again be proceeded with. Resolution in support passed. A further resolution refers to ‘the acute distress at present prevailing in several electoral divisions of the union and especially that of Curryglass ’, noting ‘unless immedi ate employment be given, serious consequences may be dreaded’, and calling for construction of a boat slip and completion of a road.

63. 64. 65. 66. 67. 68. 69. 70. 71. 72. 73.

28 Feb 1895 – 5 Sep 1895 12 Sep 1895 – 19 Mar 1896 26 Mar 1896 – 24 Sep 1896 1 Oct 1896 – 8 Apr 1897 15 Apr 1897 – 14 Oct 1897 28 Oct 1897 – 5 May 1898 12 May 1898 – 17 Nov 1898 24 Nov 1898 – 10 Jun 1899 22 Jul 1899 – 14 Apr 1900 28 Apr 1900 – 27 Apr 1901 11 May 1901 – 10 May 1902

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74. 75. 76. 77. 78. 79. 80. 81. 82. 83. 84. 85. 86.

2 Aug 1902 – 16 Jul 1903 13 Aug 1903 – 3 Nov 1904 15 Dec 1904 – 3 Dec 1906 10 Jan 1907 – 13 Jun 1907 27 Jun 1907 – 6 Aug 1908 20 Aug 1908 – 2 Sep 1909 16 Sep 1909 – 10 Nov 1910 24 Nov 1910 – 15 Feb 1912 29 Feb 1912 – 27 Mar 1913 10 Apr 1913 – 26 Mar 1914 9 Apr 1914 – 4 May 1916 18 May 1916 – 3 May 1917 31 May 1917 – 27 Jun 1918

87.

11 Jul 1918 – 13 Nov 1919

Minutes are in typescript. Ordinary minutes are followed by minutes of proceedings under the Medical Charities, Vaccination, and Dispensary Houses Acts. The workhouse buildings were taken over by military authorities for the accommodation of troops in September 1918. A Temporary Hospital Committee was set up to deal with the military and make arrangements for a temporary hospital. In the event, a separate temporary hospital was not required, as soldiers occupied the main workhouse, and inmates were transferred to the hospital. Minutes of meetings of this committee are present from 9 Sep to 12 Oct 1918.

Includes:

11 Jul 1918 Persons relieved in the workhouse: 37; outdoor relief: 76 persons

25 Jul 1918 LGB letter stating that ‘all fruit stones, including date stones, and hard nut shells are immediately required for an urgent war purpose’. Order granting three weeks ’ leave to the Sisters of Mercy, the master to procure a trained nurse from Cork during their absence. Order, in response to an LGB letter, stating that the union is not in a position to adopt the graded salaries scheme at present, but ‘as every necessary of life has advanced 100% and even more consequently the doctors just claims deserve to be met in some way, so they propose to allow Drs Lyne, Harrison and H ayes a war bonus of £15 each for the year 1918’. [Salaries of medical officers a recurring issue] 8 Aug 1918 LGB letter forwarding the report of their medical inspector, Dr Florence Dillon, on the workhouse infirmary and fever hospital, in which she notes many issues, such as that there is no convalescent ward or day rooms, that the fever hospital is in bad repair, and that the milk for infants is not sterilised. Resolution requesting ‘the British and American governments to remove the

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present embargo on cured mackerel from this country’. Despite ‘difficulties in the shipping world’, they think that ‘a point should be strained to allow at least a portion of this valuable food to the United States’, where large quantities are purchased by the navy. The fear is expressed that once the industry is discontinued ‘it will be almost an impossibility to again revive it’. [See also 22 Aug 1918, including letters notifying lifting of the embargo, and the reply of the American Consul agreeing that ‘export facilities’ for cured mackerel are needed ‘as people in Great Britain and Ireland are not accustomed to eating i t’.] 22 Aug 1918 Ordered, in response to an LGB letter drawing attention to matters raised by their inspector, that as ‘the military authorities propose taking over the workhouse for the accommodation of troops consequently the guardians do not see the ne cessity of taking any action on Mr Delany’s report’. 5 Sep 1918 Resolution expressing willingness to handing over workhouse buildings to the military authorities, subject to reimbursement. It was also resolved to seek to acquire the use of Cametringane House as a temporary infirmary and fever hospital. A committee to deal with the military and make hospital arrangements was also created. [Soldiers occupied the body of the workhouse, but inmates were transferred to the hospital building, not to Cametringane. See 6 Feb 1919, where the LGB express their understanding that Cametringane was taken by the board ‘as a temporary measure to cope with the influenza epidemic’. It is pointed out in response that the board never took possession of the house, and it is ordered that the keys be handed over to the garrison commander, Bere Island]. 9 Sep 1918 [Following minutes of 5 Sep 1918] Minutes of proceedings of the Temporary Hospital Committee. Decisions were made concerning the letting of rooms for officers, board meetings, and Castletown Dispensary, and it was noted that only 9 or 10 inmates would need to be accommodated, ‘as their friends would take charge of the others on getting assistance in the form of Out Door Relief in each case’. 19 Sep 1918 Letter from Colonel Kirkwood, Commanding Berehaven Garrison, making formal application for the handover of workhouse buildings. 17 Oct 1918 Correspondence with the military regarding works to be completed by them before the hospital may be vacated. Inventory of stock and condemned articles also present. 6 Feb 1919 LGB letter seeking a return of numbers of persons of unsound mind and numbers of persons ‘not of unsound mind but afflicted with epilepsy’. Letter from the Reverend Mother, Convent of Mercy, regarding a complaint made against a sister in the hospital by a wardsman. Notice of motion ‘that the main portion of the workhouse be not reopened as

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such, and that the master and matron be superannuated, thereby giving the guardians an approximate saving of £200 per an num’. [Passed on 6 Mar 1919. See also later minutes, e.g., 17 Apr 1919, where the LGB make reference to boarding out of remaining inmates in Bantry workhouse, and 29 May 1919, where Bantry union express willingness to receive Castletown inmates] 20 Mar 1919 Letter from the Medical Officer of the workhouse, referring to ‘insinuations’ that he gave ‘medical certificates to undeserving patients’, and to the hiring of extra nurses. He notes that nurses ‘were never got but when they were required for the welfare of the patients (the majority of whom are ratepayers) and whose interests the guardians are elected to protect’. Letter from a former inmate, now on out door relief, requesting a pair of boots ‘as those he has are not fit for further use and he has no means to get another pair’. The board request sanction, noting this man was an inmate for over 20 years until the military occupied the workhouse. 15 May 1919 Resolution asking the LGB to consider the board’s claim for payment from the military up to 31 M arch last, noting ‘as there seems to be no likelihood of the military surrendering the workhouse premises, we cannot go on indefinitely paying money on their behalf’. 12 Jun 1919 Letter from the medical officer, Castletown Dispensary District, requesting two days leave to go to Bandon ‘to examine the members of the R.I.C. alleged to have been injured near Eyries’.

26 Jun 1919 Order in reply to LGB letter stating ‘the number at pres ent on outdoor relief is eight ( 8), viz. 4 men and 4 women’.

10 Jul 1919 L GB circular stating that 17 July ‘has been fixed as the date for the public celebration of peace, which marks the termination of the war, and stating they will raise no objection to the day being observed as a holiday’. ‘No order made’ by the board in resp onse. Letter from the medical officer, Castletown Dispensary District, ‘calling attention to the large number of defaulters under the Vaccination Acts in his district’. 7 Aug 1919 Notice of payments received from the Admiralty and from the Royal Air Force for maintenance of patients in the hospital. Resolution asking whether the military ‘can now surrender the portion of the workhouse used formerly as a hospital, as our present hospital accommodation is very limited and primitive. Now that the war is over we see no reason for the military requiring the entire house’. Extracts from LGB medical inspector’s report regarding dispensary districts, including the observation that the dispensary midwife’s duties ‘are practically nil’. [See also 18 Sep 1919, letters from the union’s two midwives explaining that ‘the poor... have a great objection to applying for tickets especially for maternity cases’, and that they pay small fees instead].

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21 Aug 1919 Resolution asking that the intended steam-rolling of the road between Castletownbere and Glengarriff ‘ be carried out free of expenses to this district’. 13 Nov 1919 Resolution of farewell on the resignation of Canon McDonnell, chaplain to the workhouse, on behalf of the board and Castletown Rural District Council, making particular reference to the building of the Sacred Heart Church and his efforts to free tenants ‘from the yoke of Landlordism’. Order, in response to LGB letter, that the LGB consider appointing maternity nurses to reside in Adrigole, Bere Island, Eyeries, and Allihies. 27 Nov 1919 – 7 Sep 1921 [Minutes bound in reverse chronological order, contrary to the usual practice]

88.

Includes:

9 Feb 1921 Master’s report stating that the fever hospital was closed on 2 February and the staff dispensed with.

2 5 Aug 1920 Resolved ‘that anybody in our employment holding the commission of JP Ship, under the alien government resign same within two weeks from the date hereof’. 11 Aug 1920 Order ‘that in view of the withdrawal of loans or grants from this or any such local authority by the LG Board unless a definite assurance of allegiance accompanies such application, we hereby direct our clerk to entertain no further correspondence from that department, and in future, to direct the minutes of proceedings only to our home government, An Dail Eireann’.

11 Dec 1919 Letter from the Master stating ‘I beg to report that the military have left the workhouse’.

89.

Missing [12 Oct 1921 – 8 May 1924]

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BG/59/AA

Board of Guardians Rough Minute Books

Scope and Content: Draft record of meetings and decisions made by the board of guardians. BG/59/AA/1 and 2 , although marked as a ‘Rough Minute Book s ’, cover the dates of two missing volumes of formal minutes (BG/59/A/31and 61 above), and are printed and completed in a similar manner to formal minutes. It seems likely that the present volumes represent the principal set of minutes kept for these periods.

Date : 30 Sep 1875 – 23 Mar 1876; 15 Mar 1894 – 16 Aug 1894

Level : Series

Extent : 2 volumes

1. 2.

30 Sep 1875 – 23 Mar 1876 [see BG/59/A/31 above] 15 Mar 1894 – 16 Aug 1894 [see BG/59/A/61 above]

BG/59/AJ

Castletown Dispensary District Minute Books

Scope and Content: Minutes of meetings of the committee of management of the Castletown Dispensary District. Acting under the supervision of the board of guardians, the committee was responsible for district dispensary services and oversaw district medical officers, midwives, and relieving officers. The committee generally met fortnightly, at the workhouse boardroom. Quarterly, o fficers’, and other reports were submitted to the board of guardians. Also submitted were resolutions passed, requisitions for medicines and other requirements, and matters arising requiring the board’s sanction (e.g. premises, staff, individual relief cases).The committee also examined the books kept by the medical officer. The main dispensary was in Castletown, and for most of its existence was housed within the workhouse buildings. The district also had dispensaries in Adrigole and on Bere Island, which the medical officer generally attended one day each week. These were also used by relieving officers and midwives.

Includes:

10 Mar 1853 Resolved, ‘that the following class of persons be considered as unfit subjects for medical relief: 1 All parties deriving pay from the crown; 2 Farmers having four cows or more; 3 Farmers having less than four cows but known to have other means, such as money or employment; 4 Tradesmen while having employment; 5 Servants in gentlemen’s employ; 6 Shopkeepers, publicans, and butchers’.

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9 Apr 1891 Resolved, that Dr Lyne be allowed £60 per year for attending Bere Island Dispensary one day in each week.

Date : 10 Mar 1852 – 14 Jan 1892

Level : Item

Extent : 1 volume

10 Mar 1852 – 14 Jan 1892

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