Discover more about the poor relief efforts in Ireland from the late 1830s to the early 1860s.
Discover more about the poor relief efforts in Ireland from the late 1830s to the early 1860s.
There are six titles included in this collection of poor law reports:
The Irish Poor Law Act of 1838 created the system of poor law unions in Ireland, which established 130 poor law unions. Under this system, the poor received relief, either from a workhouse or outdoor relief (which included money, goods, clothing, or food), which was provided for by poor rates assessed under the poor law valuation.
Boards of Guardians would administer workhouses, which were set up within poor law unions, usually at its center. Between 1838 and 1852, there were 163 workhouses erected in Ireland.
In the Irish Free State, poor law unions were abolished in 1925, with the responsibility of poor relief being transferred to County Boards of Health and County Boards of Public Assistance. In Northern Ireland, poor law unions were abolished in 1948 with the introduction of the Northern Ireland Health and Social Care Service.
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