Meeting to elect Ex-Officio Guardians

The magistrates of the County Carlow met at Carlow Courthouse on September 24th 1840 for the purpose of electing ten Ex-officio Guardians. A magistrate was a justice of the peace who resided within a union. He was entitled to sit as an Ex-officio Guardian unless he was a stipendiary (paid) magistrate or a member of the clergy. John Staunton Rochfort the Senior Magistrate of County Carlow chaired the meeting. There was such a large attendance that the proceedings took place in the Grand Jury Room. Mr. Pilsworth Whelan suggested the adoption of a simple plan already used in other counties where each magistrate submitted a list of ten candidates which he supported.

Sentinel - Election results 26th Sept 1840

Extract from the "Carlow Sentinel" of 26th September, 1840 giving details of the election of the first Ex-Officio Guardians for Carlow Poor Law Union. The ten candidates elected were Sir Thomas Butler, Bart (24 votes), Robert Clayton Browne (23 votes), Henry Faulkiner (21 votes), William Fishbourne (21 votes), Pilsworth Whelan (20 votes), James H. Eustace (20 votes), Henry Bruen (19 votes), James Butler (19 votes) and William duckett (19 votes)

Carlow County Library

Sentinel - Election results 26th Sept 1840
Carlow County Library

Sentinel - Election results 26th Sept 1840

Extract from the "Carlow Sentinel" of 26th September, 1840 giving details of the election of the first Ex-Officio Guardians for Carlow Poor Law Union. The ten candidates elected were Sir Thomas Butler, Bart (24 votes), Robert Clayton Browne (23 votes), Henry Faulkiner (21 votes), William Fishbourne (21 votes), Pilsworth Whelan (20 votes), James H. Eustace (20 votes), Henry Bruen (19 votes), James Butler (19 votes) and William duckett (19 votes)

Carlow County Library

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The result of the vote was as follows:-

Sir Thomas Butler, Bart received 24 votes
Robert Clayton Browne received 23 votes
Henry Faulkiner and William Fishbourne each received 21 votes.
Pilsworth Whelan and James H. Eustace got 20 votes each.
Four candidates, namely Henry Bruen, James Butler, Harman Herring Cooper and William Duckett received 19 each.
Thomas T Vigors received 5 votes.
John Nolan, Thomas Haughton and Walter Blackney got 3 votes and bottom of the table was Dr. White who received just a single vote.

The Chairman, Col. Rochfort then declared the following persons elected as the ex-officio guardians of the Carlow Union.

They were as follows:-

Sir Thomas Butler Bart
Robert Clayton Browne
Henry Faulkner
William Fishbourne
Pilsworth Cooper
Henry Bruen
James Hardy Eustace
James Butler
Harmon H. Cooper
William Duckett

The chairman stated that the successful candidates would hold office from the 29th September 1840 until September 1841.