(Very Brief ) Paupers were Government Property and each morning at 7a.m. dressed in their rough work house clothes and brogues and assembled and waiting in the central hall for prayers, the roll call was called, then they were inspected for cleanliness, once finished they took their pannies and tin mugs and lined up for their stir-about and milk, and their daily routine had begun, once finished they were set to their days labours. Their days were long and they could not return to their dormitories until 8p.m. and that was only to sleep, their was no social life. The main classes of persons within a workhouse were sturdy beggars, disorderly woman, the old and the infirm, and orphan children. 'Rattle my bones over the stones, I am an old pauper that nobody owns' (Workhouse saying) By 1847 the fever in Ireland had reached an epidemic proportion, all over the country, it being made rampant by the fact no accommodation was adequate and the sick and dying were crowded into wards, sometimes as many as four and five or more to a bed., it is recorded that in Fermoy as many as thirty children were crowded into three beds. Hygiene was not at all at its highest and at Lurgan the fever dead were buried not far from the hospital around the well which supplied the workhouse water. Mortality was high as those who had succumbed to the fever had not yet recovered from the famine, medical and nursing facilities were scarce. Mortality even among staff was high. The tragic aspect of the workhouse was the separation of families. Children over two years of age were put in children's wards. Mothers and daughters under two years went into female quarters, fathers and sons in the male quarters. Many families never saw each other alive again, now if a member of these separated families survived no record of who that child belonged to can be certain of, unless of course you were lucky enough to find a parish register listing a baptism to the parents. Death became a way of life in the workhouse and the, Irish Poor Law Relief Extension Act of June 1847, empowered the Guardians to buy land adjacent or near the workhouse for use as burial grounds for deceased inmates of the workhouse, as the ordinary graveyards were unable to cope with the vast numbers of workhouse dead. These workhouse graves, are the loneliest patches of soil in Ireland. The burying of the stranger among the friendless poor, these lands became known as the Paupers Plot, or the Potters field. Deaths were numerous and many were buried without coffins. The Guardian did have power to arrange for the burial of poor person's but corpses were often left in the cabins that they had died in and they were knocked down and they were entombed. When conditions improved in the country somewhat, the relatives and friends that were able to afford it, claimed the bodies of inmates dying in the workhouse and arranged those burials so some did not become burials of paupers. Paupers graves were gradually discontinued and eventually the local sanitary authority became the main burial board for the provision of graveyards and decent burials under the Burial Act 1856 and the Public Health Act 1878-1879. These acts also helped to offset some of the abuse under the Anatomy Act of 1832 which decreed that 'unclaimed bodies of paupers who had died in workhouses should be made available to medical schools where they could be used for dissections in anatomy classes. However it does need to be remembered that not all chose to die in a workhouse. A summation on the 1851 Census of Ireland stated: No person has recorded the number of forlorn and starving who perished by the wayside or in the ditches, or of the mournful groups, sometimes of whole families who lay down and died, one after another, upon the floor of their miserable cabins, and so remained un-coffined and unburied till chance unveiled the appalling scene. NO SUCH amount of suffering amid such misery has been chronicled in Irish History an yet, through all, the forbearance of the Irish peasantry and the calm submission with which they bore the deadliest ills that can fall on man, can scarcely be paralleled in the annals of any people, ( Dawson Papers PRO Ireland ) By 1862 care for the sick was improved. The Poor Relief ( Ireland ) Act 1862, provided for the admission to the hospital wards of the workhouse, people requiring medical and surgical aid. Admission was at the discretion of the Guardians and a charge was made. The Guardians were also able to send any inmate of workhouse's who required treatment to any hospital ( including Voluntary hospitals) willing to receive them, and to pay the cost of treatment and conveyance, also it repealed the section of the 1847 Act which prohibited the giving of relief in a workhouse to a person who had over a quarter of an acre of land ( prohibition of granting outdoor relief to such persons remained in force until 1921) Originally no qualification were prescribed for nurses, and so therefore unqualified and inexperienced persons were often employed. In 1861 the appointment of Sisters of Mercy, who were dedicated to the relief of sick poor as qualified nurses ( still raises a question on where they were trained) These sisters were also covered by a vow of service to human needs. So this brings me to this in my writing, of the often asked question *why cant I find a headstone for my family* in this time frame to have a stone erected you would have had to have had money, and at least a living member of the family to record their passing, I can say for sure that in the area of Rathdrum in Co Wicklow their was a diligent priest at the time who recorded in his parish records the deaths from the workhouse there, but those books are in the custodial keeping of the priest at Rathdrum and for you to see them you would need to make a donation, a plea, and an appointment long in advance of your trip to said place. Stones often erected for the family in this time frame are erected by a member of the family who has found themselves well off in far off Australia or USA, and can be found in the parish churchyard, of the place that person was born in, this does not mean that the mortal remains are buried there, but the thought that binds the family together is the raising of a stone. The public hospital system in Ireland evolved from the Workhouses, and together with County infirmaries of which there were 27, and County Fever Hospitals of which their were 12 established under enactments of 1763,1805,1806,1814,1817, which were administered apart from the Poor Law, provided a framework which went some way towards meeting the medical needs of the poor . However it was not until 1851 that the Medical Charities Act laid the foundation of what was to become known as the Poor Law Medical Service, The Boards of Guardians were empowered to divide each Union into dispensary districts, appoint medical officers, and supply medicines and appliances. The Medical officer was required to give free medical service, treatment and medicines to the poor persons resident in the dispensary district, this system was eventually replaced by 'Choice of Doctor's Scheme for medical card holders under the Medical Health Act of 1970. Midwives were also provided under the act in a tentative attempt at a system of public health nursing. These 'Midwives' received no formal training and were popularly known as 'handy-women'. It was not until 1895 that midwives appointed by the Boards of Guardians were required to have a certificate from a recognised Lying-in-Hospital as to their competency of midwifery, or produce satisfactory evidence of approved practical knowledge of midwifery. *The Workhouse was the most dreaded and feared institution in Ireland,. The Workhouse system of poor relief was imposed on the Irish people in spite of the opposition of Catholic, and Protestant, landlord and labourer. It was said it would never work, and it did not work, During the famine years countless thousands died within the workhouse walls, even more, who were denied admission, died outside.* Further reading and a Brilliant Read The Workhouses of Ireland ' The fate of Ireland's Poor -John O'Connor Collection of surviving drawings of workhouses are housed in the Irish Architectural Archives .( Brilliant web site of workhouses etc can be located at 23 Union Indoor Workhouse Registers which give documentation of inmates Poor Law Union papers can be found in NAI Dublin plus PRO http://www.irishfamilyresearch.co.uk/EssentialResource8.htm http://www.youririshroots.com/irishhistory/workhouses.php Cheers from here Cara

Thanks Cara: Very Interesting........Edd in Florida ----- Original Message ----- From: "Cara" <cara_links@bigpond.com> To: <ireland-cemeteries@rootsweb.com>; <irl-dublin@rootsweb.com>; <cotipperary@rootsweb.com>; <WATERFORD-L-request@rootsweb.com> Cc: <irl-tombstone-inscriptions@rootsweb.com>; <irl-wicklow@rootsweb.com>; <wexford@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, October 05, 2012 2:13 AM Subject: [IRL-DUBLIN] Paupers, Workhouses, Midwives, Health Acts,possibly more (Very Brief ) Paupers were Government Property and each morning at 7a.m. dressed in their rough work house clothes and brogues and assembled and waiting in the central hall for prayers, the roll call was called, then they were inspected for cleanliness, once finished they took their pannies and tin mugs and lined up for their stir-about and milk, and their daily routine had begun, once finished they were set to their days labours. Their days were long and they could not return to their dormitories until 8p.m. and that was only to sleep, their was no social life. The main classes of persons within a workhouse were sturdy beggars, disorderly woman, the old and the infirm, and orphan children. 'Rattle my bones over the stones, I am an old pauper that nobody owns' (Workhouse saying) By 1847 the fever in Ireland had reached an epidemic proportion, all over the country, it being made rampant by the fact no accommodation was adequate and the sick and dying were crowded into wards, sometimes as many as four and five or more to a bed., it is recorded that in Fermoy as many as thirty children were crowded into three beds. Hygiene was not at all at its highest and at Lurgan the fever dead were buried not far from the hospital around the well which supplied the workhouse water. Mortality was high as those who had succumbed to the fever had not yet recovered from the famine, medical and nursing facilities were scarce. Mortality even among staff was high. The tragic aspect of the workhouse was the separation of families. Children over two years of age were put in children's wards. Mothers and daughters under two years went into female quarters, fathers and sons in the male quarters. Many families never saw each other alive again, now if a member of these separated families survived no record of who that child belonged to can be certain of, unless of course you were lucky enough to find a parish register listing a baptism to the parents. Death became a way of life in the workhouse and the, Irish Poor Law Relief Extension Act of June 1847, empowered the Guardians to buy land adjacent or near the workhouse for use as burial grounds for deceased inmates of the workhouse, as the ordinary graveyards were unable to cope with the vast numbers of workhouse dead. These workhouse graves, are the loneliest patches of soil in Ireland. The burying of the stranger among the friendless poor, these lands became known as the Paupers Plot, or the Potters field. Deaths were numerous and many were buried without coffins. The Guardian did have power to arrange for the burial of poor person's but corpses were often left in the cabins that they had died in and they were knocked down and they were entombed. When conditions improved in the country somewhat, the relatives and friends that were able to afford it, claimed the bodies of inmates dying in the workhouse and arranged those burials so some did not become burials of paupers. Paupers graves were gradually discontinued and eventually the local sanitary authority became the main burial board for the provision of graveyards and decent burials under the Burial Act 1856 and the Public Health Act 1878-1879. These acts also helped to offset some of the abuse under the Anatomy Act of 1832 which decreed that 'unclaimed bodies of paupers who had died in workhouses should be made available to medical schools where they could be used for dissections in anatomy classes. However it does need to be remembered that not all chose to die in a workhouse. A summation on the 1851 Census of Ireland stated: No person has recorded the number of forlorn and starving who perished by the wayside or in the ditches, or of the mournful groups, sometimes of whole families who lay down and died, one after another, upon the floor of their miserable cabins, and so remained un-coffined and unburied till chance unveiled the appalling scene. NO SUCH amount of suffering amid such misery has been chronicled in Irish History an yet, through all, the forbearance of the Irish peasantry and the calm submission with which they bore the deadliest ills that can fall on man, can scarcely be paralleled in the annals of any people, ( Dawson Papers PRO Ireland ) By 1862 care for the sick was improved. The Poor Relief ( Ireland ) Act 1862, provided for the admission to the hospital wards of the workhouse, people requiring medical and surgical aid. Admission was at the discretion of the Guardians and a charge was made. The Guardians were also able to send any inmate of workhouse's who required treatment to any hospital ( including Voluntary hospitals) willing to receive them, and to pay the cost of treatment and conveyance, also it repealed the section of the 1847 Act which prohibited the giving of relief in a workhouse to a person who had over a quarter of an acre of land ( prohibition of granting outdoor relief to such persons remained in force until 1921) Originally no qualification were prescribed for nurses, and so therefore unqualified and inexperienced persons were often employed. In 1861 the appointment of Sisters of Mercy, who were dedicated to the relief of sick poor as qualified nurses ( still raises a question on where they were trained) These sisters were also covered by a vow of service to human needs. So this brings me to this in my writing, of the often asked question *why cant I find a headstone for my family* in this time frame to have a stone erected you would have had to have had money, and at least a living member of the family to record their passing, I can say for sure that in the area of Rathdrum in Co Wicklow their was a diligent priest at the time who recorded in his parish records the deaths from the workhouse there, but those books are in the custodial keeping of the priest at Rathdrum and for you to see them you would need to make a donation, a plea, and an appointment long in advance of your trip to said place. Stones often erected for the family in this time frame are erected by a member of the family who has found themselves well off in far off Australia or USA, and can be found in the parish churchyard, of the place that person was born in, this does not mean that the mortal remains are buried there, but the thought that binds the family together is the raising of a stone. The public hospital system in Ireland evolved from the Workhouses, and together with County infirmaries of which there were 27, and County Fever Hospitals of which their were 12 established under enactments of 1763,1805,1806,1814,1817, which were administered apart from the Poor Law, provided a framework which went some way towards meeting the medical needs of the poor . However it was not until 1851 that the Medical Charities Act laid the foundation of what was to become known as the Poor Law Medical Service, The Boards of Guardians were empowered to divide each Union into dispensary districts, appoint medical officers, and supply medicines and appliances. The Medical officer was required to give free medical service, treatment and medicines to the poor persons resident in the dispensary district, this system was eventually replaced by 'Choice of Doctor's Scheme for medical card holders under the Medical Health Act of 1970. Midwives were also provided under the act in a tentative attempt at a system of public health nursing. These 'Midwives' received no formal training and were popularly known as 'handy-women'. It was not until 1895 that midwives appointed by the Boards of Guardians were required to have a certificate from a recognised Lying-in-Hospital as to their competency of midwifery, or produce satisfactory evidence of approved practical knowledge of midwifery. *The Workhouse was the most dreaded and feared institution in Ireland,. The Workhouse system of poor relief was imposed on the Irish people in spite of the opposition of Catholic, and Protestant, landlord and labourer. It was said it would never work, and it did not work, During the famine years countless thousands died within the workhouse walls, even more, who were denied admission, died outside.* Further reading and a Brilliant Read The Workhouses of Ireland ' The fate of Ireland's Poor -John O'Connor Collection of surviving drawings of workhouses are housed in the Irish Architectural Archives .( Brilliant web site of workhouses etc can be located at 23 Union Indoor Workhouse Registers which give documentation of inmates Poor Law Union papers can be found in NAI Dublin plus PRO http://www.irishfamilyresearch.co.uk/EssentialResource8.htm http://www.youririshroots.com/irishhistory/workhouses.php Cheers from here Cara ****************************** Topic: A mailing list for anyone with a genealogical interest in County Dublin, Ireland and the City of Dublin. 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