Hello Robert and Listers, Thank you for your posting re. Strabane Workhouse during the Famine. Listers may not be aware that a complete transcription of this tragic incident published in the Londonderry Journal, December 11 1847 is on our CTI website: http://www.cotyroneireland.com/traumatic/gilroy.html The origins of the Gilroy family is actually reported as Manorhamilton in Co. Leitrim (not Manorcunningham, Co. Donegal as quoted by Willie John Carlin) where a Thomas Gilroy (a close relation?) was recorded at Drummans, Manorhamilton in Griffiths Valuation c1860. Yes, the late Willie John Carlin of Strabane had a special interest in the Strabane workhouse and I fondly recall meeting with him; he generously gave me copies of extracts of the Strabane Board of Guardians’ minutes 1850-55. Listers may find the following interesting: Workhouses were indeed grim places, but during the Famine 1845-49, the starving and the desperate were clamouring at the gates seeking admission. Weekly reports were published in the local press, i.e. Londonderry Standard January 9, 1849 Strabane Union - Remaining in the house on Saturday 6th January, 781; admitted during the week 71; born 2; died 3; discharged 14; remaining 837. Number in corresponding week last year, 876 A small section of the workhouse survives as the local Council offices and there is a memorial in the grounds at the rear commemorating the paupers’ graveyard (sadly, no record of burials has survived and all graves are unmarked). My interest in Strabane workhouse is that my 16 years old g-g grandmother and two sisters were sent from there to Melbourne in 1849 as part of a group of girls from Strabane taking part in the Westminster-devised Irish Female Orphan Scheme. Some 5,000 girls from workhouses across Ireland were sent to Australia 1848-50 in an attempt to reduce the number of orphan girls housed in workhouses during the Famine years. They were described as a “Permanent Deadweight” upon the local ratepayers who were taxed to support their union workhouse. Strabane Union covered parishes in both Tyrone and Donegal. The Famine paupers generally, were starving, dressed in rags and had no homes – whole families were reduced to wandering the roads begging and sleeping rough. Certainly they sought shelter against the workhouse walls during harsh weather, but not one of them would have possessed a penny to pay the porter, not even a farthing. It is difficult to relay the desperation of these folks. Girls selected for emigration to Australia were transported to the nearest port where they embarked for Plymouth where they boarded emigrant ships and undertook the three-month journey to Australia, disembarking in Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. They were universally maligned by the colonists and the scheme was abandoned in 1850. Trust this contributes to listers knowledge of the Famine times and regards, Len Swindley, Melbourne, Australia -----Original Message----- From: fermanagh-gold-bounces@rootsweb.com mailto:fermanagh-gold-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Ulster Ancestry via Sent: Wednesday, 17 June 2015 9:12 PM To: fermanagh-gold@rootsweb.com; cotyroneireland-l@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: FERMANAGH-GOLD The Penny Lean Willie Carlin writing in the book Workhouses of the North West tells of unearthing this sad story from the files of a local newspaper the Tyrone Constitution. The title for the report "A sad Christmas" is I think somewhat understated and in our World of plenty it is hard to imagine or comprehend such hardshipand suffering. Thomas Gilroy, a native of Manorcunningham County Donegal, left his home with his young wife and six children in search of employment in the City of Glasgow. He arrived there early in August 1847 but by the time November came there was little work to be had and no food or shelter. His wife was taken ill with fever,followed by Thomas and three of the children, two of whom died. Weak and straving,unable to care for his wife and four remaining children,Thomas was given the sum of two shillings and sixpence and he and his family were put on a boat to Derry Quay. When they arrived at the Londonderry Workhouse they were refused admission because they had no transfer documentation. They were told to go on to Strabane 14 miles away. After sheltering overnight from the cold and miserable weather, the sad bedragled little group set out the next day to walk the 14 miles to Strabane. The only food to be had was raw turnips which they found growing in fields along the way. They were barely able to stand when they got to Strabane Workhouse on the 10th of December. When they asked to be admitted they were again turned away because they had no official identification. Eventually they found shelter at Melmount with an old woman who had little food to spare herself. Starved and exhausted Thomas Gilroy lay down on the damp earth alongside his family. Early on the morning of the 17th of December Thomas and his youngest child, died. The inquiry that followed found they had died from starvation. The gate keeper at the workhouse was reprimanded for ignoring the plight of the Gilroy family,and Mrs Gilroy and her three surviving children were taken into workhouse care. The old lady whose cabin they had shared at Melmount was given a subscription for laying out the bodies of Thomas and his child,before they were carried to the paupers graveyard for burial

Hello Len I was involved in carrying out some renovation and reconstruction work in Strabane Workhouse over a six month period in the late 1970s At that time it was Strabane Hospital. The old dormitaries, male and female, had been converted into hospital wards in the 1930s, so I was in rooms that your g g grandmother would have known as a young girl. best regards Robert www.ulsterancestry.com > To: cotyroneireland@rootsweb.com > Date: Fri, 19 Jun 2015 21:55:34 +1000 > Subject: Re: [CoTyIre] FERMANAGH-GOLD The Penny Lean > From: cotyroneireland@rootsweb.com > > > > > > > Hello Robert > and Listers, > > Thank you > for your posting re. Strabane Workhouse during the Famine. Listers may not be > aware that a complete transcription of this tragic incident published in the > Londonderry Journal, December 11 1847 is on our CTI website: > > http://www.cotyroneireland.com/traumatic/gilroy.html > > The origins > of the Gilroy family is actually reported as Manorhamilton in Co. Leitrim (not Manorcunningham, > Co. Donegal as quoted by Willie John Carlin) where a Thomas Gilroy (a close > relation?) was recorded at Drummans, Manorhamilton in Griffiths Valuation c1860. > > Yes, the > late Willie John Carlin of Strabane had a special interest in the Strabane > workhouse and I fondly recall meeting with him; he generously gave me copies of > extracts of the Strabane Board of Guardians’ minutes 1850-55. > > Listers may > find the following interesting: > > Workhouses > were indeed grim places, but during the Famine 1845-49, the starving and the desperate > were clamouring at the gates seeking admission. Weekly reports were published > in the local press, i.e. > > Londonderry > Standard > > January 9, > 1849 > > Strabane > Union - Remaining in the house on Saturday 6th January, 781; admitted during > the week 71; born 2; died 3; discharged 14; remaining 837. Number in > corresponding week last year, 876 > > A small > section of the workhouse survives as the local Council offices and there is a > memorial in the grounds at the rear commemorating the paupers’ graveyard (sadly, > no record of burials has survived and all graves are unmarked). > > My interest > in Strabane workhouse is that my 16 years old g-g grandmother and two sisters > were sent from there to Melbourne in 1849 as part of a group of girls from > Strabane taking part in the Westminster-devised Irish Female Orphan Scheme. > Some 5,000 girls from workhouses across Ireland were sent to Australia 1848-50 > in an attempt to reduce the number of orphan girls housed in workhouses during > the Famine years. They were described as a “Permanent Deadweight” upon the > local ratepayers who were taxed to support their union workhouse. > > Strabane > Union covered parishes in both Tyrone and Donegal. > > The Famine paupers > generally, were starving, dressed in rags and had no homes – whole families > were reduced to wandering the roads begging and sleeping rough. Certainly they > sought shelter against the workhouse walls during harsh weather, but not one of > them would have possessed a penny to pay the porter, not even a farthing. It is > difficult to relay the desperation of these folks. > > Girls > selected for emigration to Australia were transported to the nearest port where > they embarked for Plymouth where they boarded emigrant ships and undertook the > three-month journey to Australia, disembarking in Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney > and Brisbane. They were universally maligned by the colonists and the scheme > was abandoned in 1850. > > Trust this > contributes to listers knowledge of the Famine times and regards, > > Len > Swindley, > > Melbourne, > Australia > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: fermanagh-gold-bounces@rootsweb.com > mailto:fermanagh-gold-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Ulster Ancestry > via > Sent: Wednesday, 17 June 2015 9:12 PM > To: fermanagh-gold@rootsweb.com; cotyroneireland-l@rootsweb.com > Subject: Re: FERMANAGH-GOLD The Penny Lean > > > Willie Carlin writing in the book Workhouses of the North West tells of unearthing this sad story > from the files of a local newspaper the Tyrone Constitution. > > The title for the report "A sad Christmas" is I think somewhat understated and in our World of plenty it is hard to imagine or comprehend such hardshipand suffering. Thomas Gilroy, a native of Manorcunningham County Donegal, left his home > with his young wife and six children in search of employment in the City of Glasgow. > > He arrived there early in August 1847 but by the time November came there was little work to be had and no food or shelter. His wife was taken ill with fever,followed by Thomas and three of the children, two of whom died. > > Weak and straving,unable to care for his wife and four remaining children,Thomas was given the sum of two shillings and sixpence and he and his family were put on a boat to Derry Quay. When they arrived at the Londonderry Workhouse they were refused admission because they had no transfer documentation. They were told to go on to Strabane 14 miles away. > > > After sheltering overnight from the cold and miserable weather, the sad bedragled little group set out > the next day to walk the 14 miles to Strabane. > > The only food to be had was raw turnips which they found growing in fields along the way. They were barely able to > stand when they got to Strabane Workhouse on the 10th of December. When they asked to be admitted they were again turned away because they had no official identification. > > Eventually they found shelter at Melmount with an old woman who had little food to spare herself. Starved and exhausted Thomas Gilroy lay down on the damp earth alongside his family. Early on the morning of the 17th of December Thomas and his youngest child, died. > > The inquiry that followed found they had died from starvation. The gate keeper at the workhouse was reprimanded for ignoring the plight of the Gilroy family,and Mrs Gilroy and her three surviving children were taken into workhouse care. > > The old lady whose cabin they had shared at Melmount was given a subscription for laying out the bodies of Thomas and his child,before they were carried to the paupers graveyard for burial > > > ------------- > Our community web-site: http://cotyroneireland.com/ > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to COTYRONEIRELAND-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Thanks for your response Robert. I don’t think that the three Arbuckle sisters were in Strabane workhouse for very long (unfortunately the minutes of the Strabane Board of Guardians have not survived for the Famine years) and may have only entered when it was being cleared of young girls. Their mother (died 1833) was a Stevenson and so were possibly closely related to William Stevenson, one of the Poor Law Guardians. The girls’ cousin James Arbuckle was appointed as workhouse schoolmaster in 1843, an uncle (John Arbuckle) was secretary to William Stevenson who was also a Burgess and the Treasurer of the Corporation of Strabane. John Arbuckle was also Commissioner for Taking Affidavits for Co. Donegal, indicating a family of quite some local influence. The Female Orphan Scheme was designed to provide house servants, dairy maids, prospective wives and the like for colonial Australians who would attend the immigrants’ barracks upon arrival of each commissioned boat to assess the worthiness and physical attributes of the young girls (rather like a Hiring Fair). As this was a government scheme the hiring and employment records of girls disembarking in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane are mostly very good. Surviving records of the Immigrants’ Barracks in Melbourne reveal that the Arbuckles did not participate in the scheme and speedily fled the depot. The register records simply for each of them; “Gone. Taken home by their brother-in-law, George Hunter”. Two older married sisters had departed Strabane and emigrated, arriving in Melbourne, nine years earlier, in 1841. Twelve girls in total from Strabane arrived on the “Derwent” in February 1850. The likelihood is that the Arbuckles took advantage of free passages to participate in a family reunion; not a too difficult task when taking advantage of family connections. I’m quite your work on the old Strabane hospital in the 70s contributed to quite a deal more comfort than was the norm in the old days of penury and the workhouse. Regards, Len Swindley > To: cotyroneireland-l@rootsweb.com > Date: Fri, 19 Jun 2015 12:49:54 +0000 > Subject: Re: [CoTyIre] FERMANAGH-GOLD The Penny Lean > From: cotyroneireland@rootsweb.com > > Hello Len > I was involved in carrying out some renovation and reconstruction work in Strabane Workhouse over a six month period in the late 1970s > At that time it was Strabane Hospital. The old dormitaries, male and female, had been converted into hospital wards in the 1930s, so I was in rooms that your g g grandmother would have known as a young girl. > best regards > Robert > www.ulsterancestry.com > > > To: cotyroneireland@rootsweb.com > > Date: Fri, 19 Jun 2015 21:55:34 +1000 > > Subject: Re: [CoTyIre] FERMANAGH-GOLD The Penny Lean > > From: cotyroneireland@rootsweb.com > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Hello Robert > > and Listers, > > > > Thank you > > for your posting re. Strabane Workhouse during the Famine. Listers may not be > > aware that a complete transcription of this tragic incident published in the > > Londonderry Journal, December 11 1847 is on our CTI website: > > > > http://www.cotyroneireland.com/traumatic/gilroy.html > > > > The origins > > of the Gilroy family is actually reported as Manorhamilton in Co. Leitrim (not Manorcunningham, > > Co. Donegal as quoted by Willie John Carlin) where a Thomas Gilroy (a close > > relation?) was recorded at Drummans, Manorhamilton in Griffiths Valuation c1860. > > > > Yes, the > > late Willie John Carlin of Strabane had a special interest in the Strabane > > workhouse and I fondly recall meeting with him; he generously gave me copies of > > extracts of the Strabane Board of Guardians’ minutes 1850-55. > > > > Listers may > > find the following interesting: > > > > Workhouses > > were indeed grim places, but during the Famine 1845-49, the starving and the desperate > > were clamouring at the gates seeking admission. Weekly reports were published > > in the local press, i.e. > > > > Londonderry > > Standard > > > > January 9, > > 1849 > > > > Strabane > > Union - Remaining in the house on Saturday 6th January, 781; admitted during > > the week 71; born 2; died 3; discharged 14; remaining 837. Number in > > corresponding week last year, 876 > > > > A small > > section of the workhouse survives as the local Council offices and there is a > > memorial in the grounds at the rear commemorating the paupers’ graveyard (sadly, > > no record of burials has survived and all graves are unmarked). > > > > My interest > > in Strabane workhouse is that my 16 years old g-g grandmother and two sisters > > were sent from there to Melbourne in 1849 as part of a group of girls from > > Strabane taking part in the Westminster-devised Irish Female Orphan Scheme. > > Some 5,000 girls from workhouses across Ireland were sent to Australia 1848-50 > > in an attempt to reduce the number of orphan girls housed in workhouses during > > the Famine years. They were described as a “Permanent Deadweight” upon the > > local ratepayers who were taxed to support their union workhouse. > > > > Strabane > > Union covered parishes in both Tyrone and Donegal. > > > > The Famine paupers > > generally, were starving, dressed in rags and had no homes – whole families > > were reduced to wandering the roads begging and sleeping rough. Certainly they > > sought shelter against the workhouse walls during harsh weather, but not one of > > them would have possessed a penny to pay the porter, not even a farthing. It is > > difficult to relay the desperation of these folks. > > > > Girls > > selected for emigration to Australia were transported to the nearest port where > > they embarked for Plymouth where they boarded emigrant ships and undertook the > > three-month journey to Australia, disembarking in Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney > > and Brisbane. They were universally maligned by the colonists and the scheme > > was abandoned in 1850. > > > > Trust this > > contributes to listers knowledge of the Famine times and regards, > > > > Len > > Swindley, > > > > Melbourne, > > Australia > > > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: fermanagh-gold-bounces@rootsweb.com > > mailto:fermanagh-gold-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Ulster Ancestry > > via > > Sent: Wednesday, 17 June 2015 9:12 PM > > To: fermanagh-gold@rootsweb.com; cotyroneireland-l@rootsweb.com > > Subject: Re: FERMANAGH-GOLD The Penny Lean > > > > > > Willie Carlin writing in the book Workhouses of the North West tells of unearthing this sad story > > from the files of a local newspaper the Tyrone Constitution. > > > > The title for the report "A sad Christmas" is I think somewhat understated and in our World of plenty it is hard to imagine or comprehend such hardshipand suffering. Thomas Gilroy, a native of Manorcunningham County Donegal, left his home > > with his young wife and six children in search of employment in the City of Glasgow. > > > > He arrived there early in August 1847 but by the time November came there was little work to be had and no food or shelter. His wife was taken ill with fever,followed by Thomas and three of the children, two of whom died. > > > > Weak and straving,unable to care for his wife and four remaining children,Thomas was given the sum of two shillings and sixpence and he and his family were put on a boat to Derry Quay. When they arrived at the Londonderry Workhouse they were refused admission because they had no transfer documentation. They were told to go on to Strabane 14 miles away. > > > > > > After sheltering overnight from the cold and miserable weather, the sad bedragled little group set out > > the next day to walk the 14 miles to Strabane. > > > > The only food to be had was raw turnips which they found growing in fields along the way. They were barely able to > > stand when they got to Strabane Workhouse on the 10th of December. When they asked to be admitted they were again turned away because they had no official identification. > > > > Eventually they found shelter at Melmount with an old woman who had little food to spare herself. Starved and exhausted Thomas Gilroy lay down on the damp earth alongside his family. Early on the morning of the 17th of December Thomas and his youngest child, died. > > > > The inquiry that followed found they had died from starvation. The gate keeper at the workhouse was reprimanded for ignoring the plight of the Gilroy family,and Mrs Gilroy and her three surviving children were taken into workhouse care. > > > > The old lady whose cabin they had shared at Melmount was given a subscription for laying out the bodies of Thomas and his child,before they were carried to the paupers graveyard for burial > > > > > > ------------- > > Our community web-site: http://cotyroneireland.com/ > > > > ------------------------------- > > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to COTYRONEIRELAND-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > ------------- > Our community web-site: http://cotyroneireland.com/ > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to COTYRONEIRELAND-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message