Acts of Parliament to address poverty and social instability in Ireland
The Irish poor laws were a series of acts of Parliament intended to address social instability due to widespread and persistent poverty in Ireland. While some legislation had been introduced by the pre-Union Parliament of Ireland prior to the Act of Union, the most radical and comprehensive attempt was the Irish act of 1838, closely modelled on the English Poor Law Amendment Act 1834. In England, this replaced Elizabethan era legislation which had no equivalent in Ireland.
Pre-Union
In 1703, the Irish Parliament passed an act for "Providing the erection of a workhouse and for the maintenance and apprenticing out of foundling children" establishing the House of Industry in Dublin.
By 1771, there were Houses of Industry in every county and by 1833, the total cost was £32,967.[1]
Post-Union
Until 1838, the use of 'Houses of industry' was on a much smaller scale than in England and Wales.[2]
During the Great Famine, workhouses became so overwhelmed that large numbers of paupers were assisted to emigrate. This had the effect of permitting more to enter the workhouse in the hope of escaping starvation and disease. In response, Guardian-assisted emigration was reserved only for those who had received indoor relief for over two years.[9]
After partition
Following the Partition of Ireland, in the independent Irish Free State, poor law unions and rural districts were abolished in 1925 and the powers of boards of guardians transferred to the county councils' County Boards of Health or County Boards of Public Assistance.[2][10]
^"History & Heritage > Poor Law Union > Poor Law Unions and their Records > The Union". AskAboutIreland. An Chomhairle Leabharlanna. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
^O'Brien, Gerard (November 1982). "The Establishment of Poor-Law Unions in Ireland, 1838–43". Irish Historical Studies. 23 (90). Cambridge University Press: 97–120. JSTOR 30008402.
^Nicholls, George (1856). A History of the Irish Poor Law: In Connexion with the Condition of the People. J. Murray. p. 423. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
^ a b"History & Heritage > Poor Law Union > Poor Law Unions and their Records > The Establishment of the Poor Law System". AskAboutIreland. An Chomhairle Leabharlanna. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
^"Browse > Census > 1871 > Ireland > Alphabetical index to townlands of Ireland, 1871". HISTPOP.ORG. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
Torrens, Robert Plan of an association in aid of the Irish Poor Law (1838)
Poulett Scrope, George – Letters to the Right Hon. Lord John Russell, on the expediency of enlarging the Irish poor-law to the full extent of the poor-law of England (1846)
19th century
O'Connor, John The Workhouses of Ireland: The Fate of Ireland's Poor 1995 : ISBN 978-0-947962-71-5
Crossman, Virginia Politics, Pauperism and Power in Late Nineteenth-century Ireland : 2006 : ISBN 978-0-7190-7377-9
Burke, Helen The people and the poor law in 19th century Ireland : 1987 : ISBN 978-0-905223-94-0
*Butt, Isaac The poor-law bill for Ireland examined, its provisions and the report of Mr. Nicholls contrasted ... (1837) at Internet Archive.
MacDonagh, Oliver : The Poor Law, Emigration and the Irish Question 1830–'55 : in Christus Rex – Studies in Irish History : January 1958
Gray, Peter The Making of the Irish Poor Law, 1815–43 MUP 2009 ISBN 978-0-7190-7649-7
Collison Black, R.D – Economic Thought and the Irish Question 1817–1870, 1993 (reprint of 1960) ISBN 978-0-7512-0124-6
20th century
Anderson, James Pauperism: Poor Relief in Ireland—Some Suggestions (from "Ireland's Hope: A Call to Service"), 1913
Kely, G O, Donnell, A Kennedy, P Quin, S Irish Social Policy In Context:(1999) Dublin University College Dublin Press
External links
The Workhouse in Ireland
Hidden Wexford Genealogy – births in the Wexford Workhouse 1851–1893 Archived 22 May 2022 at the Wayback Machine
Elements of Irish Poor Law Repealed Irish Statute Book
Irish Poor Law Union and their Records from Ask About Ireland, an Irish government sponsored portal.