Role of Landlords in the Relief of Poor

Clifden Workhouse

An illustration of the Clifden Workhouse from the Illustrated London News, 5 January 1850.

Courtesy of Galway County Library

Clifden Workhouse
Courtesy of Galway County Library

Clifden Workhouse

An illustration of the Clifden Workhouse from the Illustrated London News, 5 January 1850.

Courtesy of Galway County Library

Enlarge image

There were many resident landlords who did everything in their power to alleviate the sufferings of their tenants. Some of them like the Blakes, Burkes and Martins, ruined themselves financially in their efforts to avert further tragedy. "Ladies kept their servants busy and their kitchens smoking with continued preparation of food for the starving poor".

Other resident landlords, however, decided that the simplest way of dealing with the problem was to ship their surplus tenants to the United States and Canada. Bargains were made with shipping agents, and half-dying and often fever-stricken emigrants were packed into the holds of rotten ships and sent overseas. "Crowded and filthy, carrying double the legal number of passengers, and having no doctor on board, the holds were like the Black Hole of Calcutta, and deaths in myriads". It was cheaper to ship tenants overseas than feed them out of the county rates. With the wholesale evictions and the seizure of crops agrarian outrages again broke out. A Coercion Act was passed aiming at securing any arms which might have survived previous disarming acts, and under a penalty of two years' imprisonment with hard labour it compelled all persons between the ages of sixteen and sixty to give all assistance when called upon, to the police and military.

To return to Sir William Gregory, his father, who was proprietor of the Coole estate and two outlying properties, Clooniffe in the barony of Moycullen and Kiltiernan in the barony of Dunkellin, died in April 1847, one of the victims of duty during that terrible time when fever followed famine. Among the other landowners that perished through their helping the sick were Lord Dunsandle and Thomas Martin owner of the great Ballinahinch Estate.

Entrance to St. Brigid's, Ballinasloe.

A photograph of the entrance to St. Brigid's, Ballinasloe. St. Brigid's is a former workhouse; this photograph is part of the Cardall collection at Galway library.

Courtesy of Galway County Library

Entrance to St. Brigid's, Ballinasloe.
Courtesy of Galway County Library

Entrance to St. Brigid's, Ballinasloe.

A photograph of the entrance to St. Brigid's, Ballinasloe. St. Brigid's is a former workhouse; this photograph is part of the Cardall collection at Galway library.

Courtesy of Galway County Library

Enlarge image

By 1st May 1848, workhouses had been established in Ballinasloe, Clifden, Galway, Gort, Loughrea and Tuam.

By the end of September of that year there were 7,480 paupers in the six workhouses and during the year 14,522 had been relieved in the institution and 11,156 had died. The mortality in the workhouses in April 1847, had reached the weekly rate of 25 per 1,000 inmates; that of the fever patients being nearly four times as high. While the maximum numbers at any one time had been 11,156 on the 27th February, 1847, from which period to the 10th April the number had gradually declined to 7,480 while the rate of mortality had continued to increase notwithstanding that reduction.

There was a gradual decline in the rate of mortality in the workhouses through the months of May and June and by the beginning of June it had descended to half the rate. It was observable, however, that during the same period the total numbers in the institutions of Galway had undergone no material decrease, the fluctuations indicate the fearful state of the pressure on the workhouses in the Spring of 1847.

The temporary fever hospitals established under the Temporary Relief and Fever Acts in the six towns only provided for 630 although 2,440 had to be treated. The total cost of maintenance of the institutions in 1847 amounted to £26,196 15s. 0d.