Financial Records

The financial workings of the local Union were recorded in what were basically two sets of ledgers with a range of supporting documentation. The general ledgers contain all money transactions noted in the minute books. Each District Electoral Division has its own account for outdoor relief and dispensary matters. There are separate accounts for the various activities of the workhouse. These included a maintenance account for the workhouse, a provision account for supplies, a clothing account to provide paupers with clothes when they entered the workhouse, an establishment account for salaries and wages and a building account for construction. Other matters, such as any dealings with the Exchequer Loan Commissioners were noted separately as the occasion demanded. In cases where the general ledgers no longer exist there are sometimes rough ledgers that can be used as substitutes.

The second set of ledgers are the personal ledgers. They set out the weekly payments to officers of the Board and contractors for goods and services. These are usually indexed making it easy to trace the supply of goods or services. The information is basically the same as that provided in the general ledgers but arranged under the name of the person receiving the money. This can be important in tracing the impact of the workhouse on the local economy.

These two sets of ledgers were used in the preparation of the financial statements of the Union and in calculating the financial demands necessary for the following year. These financial statements and budget projections survive for only a few Unions. They were backed up by a range of other documents that occasionally survive. They include daybooks, bank passbooks, petty cash journals, invoices and vouchers and ledgers.

Statistics

The Victorian mania for collecting statistics to measure how systems worked extended to the Irish Poor Law. Unions were required to make statistical returns to the Commissioners in Dublin and those returns were printed in abbreviated form in the annual report of the Commissioners. Thus, if the statistical returns do not survive at local level they can be reconstructed to some extent from the summaries in the Board of Guardians minutes and in the Commissioners published reports. The statistical returns were mainly concerned with two things: the collection of poor rates and the number of paupers to be relieved. Thus surviving returns deal with the number of inmates in the workhouse and the number being relieved outside (sometimes referred to in these returns as 'destitute poor').

Milford Statistics

Extract from the minutes of Milford Workhouse with answers to a set of question about acreage and land-holding patterns in Milford.

Copyright of Donegal County Archives Service. No reproduction without permission

Milford Statistics - Copyright of Donegal County Archives Service. No reproduction without permission

Minutes relating to Maintenance of Blind Image

Minute of Milford Board of Guardians detailing the payment of the half yearly maintenance fee of J. Conaghan, a blind boy, in St. Josephs Asylum.

Copyright of Donegal County Archives: No reproduction without permission

Minutes relating to Maintenance of Blind Image - Copyright of Donegal County Archives: No reproduction without permission

Dunshaughlin Poor Law Union - 21.05.1841 - First Admissions

At the Guardians' meeting of 21st of May, 1841 the clerk reported the provisional admission of two destitute persons, a man and a woman. Bread and milk were supplied. The master, matron and porter also took up residence in the workhouse on the 17th of May, 1841.


Dunshaughlin Poor Law Union - 21.05.1841 - First Admissions -

Dunshaughlin Poor Law Union - 04.12.1847 - Cholera Cases Report

The medical report of 4.12.1847 states that there were three cases of cholera in the past week. One was in an elderly female and two in infants, one of whom died.

Copyright managed by the Library Council�

Dunshaughlin Poor Law Union - 04.12.1847 - Cholera Cases Report - Copyright managed by the Library Council�

Minute relating to Assisting Emmigration

Minute of Milford Board of Guardians requesting that the commissioners sanction the payment of £3 to provide and outfit and pay a portion of the passage to Philadelphia of a child named Catherine Murray, the other part having been paid by the parents who reside there.

Copyright of Donegal County Archives: No reproduction without permission

Minute relating to Assisting Emmigration - Copyright of Donegal County Archives: No reproduction without permission
Pdf Milford Statistics
Size: 936.6K bytesModified: 27 June 2008, 10:21
Pdf Minutes of Milford Board of Guardians detailing the payment of the half yearly maintenance fee of J. Conaghan, a blinkd boy, in St. joseph's Asylum
Size: 885.7K bytesModified: 27 June 2008, 10:21
Pdf Dunshaughlin Poor Law Union, 21.05.1841
Size: 3.4M bytesModified: 27 June 2008, 10:26
Pdf Dunshaughlin Poor Law Union, 01.12.1847
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Pdf Minutes relating to assisting emmigration
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Dunshaughlin Poor Law Union - 28.11.1846 - Xmas Dinner Proposal

A proposal that the "paupers" get a meat dinner on Xmas day was passed. This would have provided some variation to the regular diet of potatoes, porridge, bread and buttermilk.


Dunshaughlin Poor Law Union - 28.11.1846 - Xmas Dinner Proposal -

Dunshaughlin Poor Law Union - 02.05.1846 - Weekly Meeting i

The weekly procdure of a Guardians board meeting is presented using 2 May 1846 as an example. The inmates were tabulated in their various categories, the Master's provisions books were checked and orders specified. Accounts and medical reports were checked. Correspondance from the Poor Law Commission was read into the record and Guardians' responses and instructions were recorded.


Dunshaughlin Poor Law Union - 02.05.1846 - Weekly Meeting i -

Punishment Book 1a

Extract from the punishment detailing name of person who has been or who is to be punished; offence; date of offence; punishment given; guardians opinions on punishment and the punishment the guardians decide upon; and the date of punishment. Punishments are for both adults and children and are for offences such as fighting, abusive language, insubordination, refusing to work and going to Milford without permission.

Copyright of Donegal County Archives Service. No reproduction without permission.�

Punishment Book 1a - Copyright of Donegal County Archives Service. No reproduction without permission.�

Dispensary District Committees of Management

Extract from the minutes of Milford Board of Guardians where committees of management for each dispensary district were appointed.

Copyright of Donegal County Archives Service. No reproduction without permission�

Dispensary District Committees of Management - Copyright of Donegal County Archives Service. No reproduction without permission�

Washing and cleaning floors: extract from Visiting Committtee Report Book

Extract from the Visiting Committee's Report Book. Comment made by Samuel Horsley, Inspector in which he expresses his concern over the time at which the floors are scoured and washed.

Copyright of Donegal County Archives Service. No reproduction without permission.

Washing and cleaning floors: extract from Visiting Committtee Report Book - Copyright of Donegal County Archives Service. No reproduction without permission.
Pdf Dunshaughlin Poor Law Union 28.11.1846
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Pdf Dunshaughlin Poor Law Union 02.05.1846
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Pdf Punishment Book 1a
Size: 79.7K bytesModified: 27 June 2008, 10:21
Pdf Dispensary District Committees of Management
Size: 3.0M bytesModified: 27 June 2008, 10:21
Pdf Washing and cleaning floors: extract from Visiting Committee Report Book
Size: 413.7K bytesModified: 29 October 2008, 09:36

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