Accommodation

Dunshaughlin Poor Law Union - 09.01.1847 - Overcrowding Measures

The Dunshaughlin Guardians suggested,as an emergency response to overcrowding,that men should be admitted to sleep in the workhouse bathroom. Here the Poor Law Commissioners in Dublin disagree with this solution on health grounds. They recommend, and will authorise, converting another building to workhouse use, or extending the existing workhouse.

Dunshaughlin Poor Law Union - 09.01.1847 - Overcrowding Measures

Dunshaughlin Poor Law Union - 09.01.1847 - Overcrowding Measures

The Dunshaughlin Guardians suggested,as an emergency response to overcrowding,that men should be admitted to sleep in the workhouse bathroom. Here the Poor Law Commissioners in Dublin disagree with this solution on health grounds. They recommend, and will authorise, converting another building to workhouse use, or extending the existing workhouse.

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Dunshaughlin Poor Law Union - 27.11.1847 - Increase Capacity Suggestion

Captain Hubard, a Poor Law Commissioner, attended the Board of Guardian meeting on 27 November 1847, in relation to a resolution passed by the Guardians seeking approval to issue outdoor relief. His recommendation was to extend capacity in the house with the addition of sleeping gallereis and sheds. This measure subsequently accommodated 100 people.

Dunshaughlin Poor Law Union - 27.11.1847 - Increase Capacity Suggestion

Dunshaughlin Poor Law Union - 27.11.1847 - Increase Capacity Suggestion

Captain Hubard, a Poor Law Commissioner, attended the Board of Guardian meeting on 27 November 1847, in relation to a resolution passed by the Guardians seeking approval to issue outdoor relief. His recommendation was to extend capacity in the house with the addition of sleeping gallereis and sheds. This measure subsequently accommodated 100 people.

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The high cost of insuring the Workhouse was undoubtedly due to the fact that there was a great multitude living within a confined area.

The capacity of the house varied greatly over the first ten years as extensions were built and new premises acquired during the Famine.

As stated the poorhouse was originally built to accommodate 400 paupers. This seems to have been adequate until late 1846 when concern was first expressed by the Poor Law Commissioners about overcrowding.

Shortly afterwards, a letter from the Poor Law Commissioners suggested to the Board that there was need for "an additional workhouse or an extension to the present one".

Thus in March 1847 the stables of Sir William Dillon of Lismullen were rented as extra accommodation for paupers, bringing capacity to 497.

To combat the disease of the Famine years the board next proposed to build a fever hospital on a site of two acres of land adjoining the workhouse owned by the Earl of Fingall. This accommodated an extra 60 inmates and by the end of 1847 what were termed sleeping galleries and sheds were built to cater for an additional 100 people.

By the end of the decade even more space had been made available and the Minute books for these years divide the space accordingly: Workhouse 400; Temporary buildings, 40; Permanent Fever hospital, 200; Fever sheds, 166. This gives a total of 806, over twice the number of inmates originally envisaged more than ten years before.

There are no figures available for the number of inmates between 1841 and 1846. After that weekly records began to be kept. The paupers were divided into various categories for the purpose of keeping these records. The number of males and females over 15 years, the number of boys and girls under 15 and children under 2 were recorded. Accounts were also kept of births and deaths and the number of sick paupers in any one week.