The Workhouse
The Connacht Tribune, Friday, February 15, 1985.
Two weeks ago, a special two—part series on life in the Workhouses of Ireland in the last century, we dealt with the death of the inmates, and this week we look at the life in the Workhouse and how it was run — from the rules it appears to have been quite regimented.
From the 1871 edition of the "compendium of the Irish Poor Law" sets out the rules of the "paupers" who took refuge in the workhouse, and clearly there were strict rules against drinking, smoking, card playing, use of bad language, staying in bed in the mornings, speaking at times of silence, and a host of other strictures.
The rules do not lay down a specific time when the inmates of the "workhouse" or "poorhouse" had to be in bed, but it does say in the section dealing with the duties of the Master of the Workhouse that part of this role was to visit all wards before 9p.m. to see that all "male paupers are in bed, and that all fires and lights are extinguished."
The ultimate sanction in the case of some paupers may have been to throw them out of the workhouse if they did not obey the rules, but it is also made clear that if they persistently disobeyed the rules of the workhouse, they had hanging over them the threat of one month's hard labour.
The 1838 Irish Poor Relief Act says: "...every person who shall refuse to be lodged and maintained in the Workhouse of any Union, or abscond out of such Workhouse, while his Wife or any Child whom he may be liable to maintain shall be relieved therein, and every Person maintained in a Workhouse who shall be guilty of Drunkenness, Insubordination to the Officers of the Union, or Disobedience to the Rules prescribed or sanctioned by the Commissioners for the Government of such Workhouse, or of other Misbehavior therein, and every Person who shall introduce or attempt to introduce spirituous or fermented liquors into any Workhouse, contrary to the Order of the Commissioners, shall, on Conviction thereof before any Justice of the Peace at Petty Sessions in open court, either by confession of such offender, or by the evidence on oath of one or more credible witness or witnesses, be committed to the Common Gaol or House of Correction, there to be kept to hard Labour for any time not exceeding one calendar month."
The regulations are as follows:
Discipline of Paupers.
Article 11. — All the paupers in the workhouse, except those disabled by sickness or infirmity, persons of unsound mind, and children, shall rise, be set to work, leave off work, and go to bed, at such times, and shall be allowed such intervals for their meals, as the Board of Guardians shall, by any regulations approved by the Commissioners, direct; and these several times shall be notified by the ringing of a bell.
Article 15. — Half an hour after the bell shall have been rung for rising, the names of the paupers shall be called over by the Master, School—master, Matron, Schoolmistress, or other officer duly authorized, respectively, in the several wards; when every pauper belonging to each ward must be present, to answer his name, and to be inspected; and a list of the persons in each ward, arranged in classes as provided in Article 13 for the purpose of dietary, shall be made out for the Master's information.
Article 16. — The meals shall be taken by all the paupers (except those disabled by sickness or infirmity, persons of unsound mind, and children), in the dining hall, and in no other place whatever; and during the time of meals order and decorum shall be maintained; and no pauper (except those disabled by sickness or infirmity, persons of unsound mind, and children), shall go to or remain in his sleeping room, either in the time appointed for work, or in the intervals allowed for meals, except by permission of the Master or Matron.
By a resolution, the said diet to be temporarily changed according to the recommendation of the Medical Officer, and shall forthwith transmit a copy of such certificate and resolution to the Commissioners.
3rdly — that the Medical Officer shall be specially consulted by the Matron as to the nature of the food of the infants, and the time at which such infants should be weaned.
Article 20. — No pauper shall have or consume any tobacco, or any spirituous or fermented liquor, or food or provision other than is allowed in the said Dietary Table, unless by the direction in Article 19.
Article 21. — The clothing to be worn by the paupers in the workhouse shall be made of such materials as the Board of Guardians may determine.
Article 22. — The paupers of the several classes shall be kept employed according to their capacity and ability; but no pauper shall work on his own account, or on account of any party other than the Board of Guardians; and no pauper shall receive any compensation for his labour, except such food as the Medical Officer shall recommend to be given to any pauper who may be in attendance on the sick.
Article 23. — The boys and girls who are inmates of the workhouse shall, for three of the working hours at least every day, be instructed in reading, writing, arithmetic, and the principles of the Christian religion, and such as shall fit them for service and train them to habits of usefulness, industry and virtue.
Article 30. — No pauper shall play at cards, or at any game of chance, in the workhouse, and it shall be lawful for the Master to take from any pauper, and to keep until his departure from the workhouse, any cards, dice, or other articles relating to games of chance, which may be in his possession.
Article 31. — No pauper shall smoke within the precincts of the workhouse, nor shall have any matches or other articles of a highly combustible nature in his possession.
Article 32. — Any regular minister of the religious persuasion of any inmate of the workhouse who shall, at any time in the day, on the request of any inmate, enter the workhouse for the purpose of affording religious assistance to him, or for the purpose of instruction his child or children in the principles of his religion, shall give such assistance or instruction so as not to interfere with the good order and discipline of the other inmates of the workhouse, and such religious assistance or intrusion shall be strictly confined to inmates who are of the religious persuasion of such minister, and to the children of such inmates.
Article 35. — No work, except the necessary household work and cooking, shall be performed by the paupers on Sunday, Good Friday, and Christmas Day.
Article 36. — No work, except the necessary household work and cooking, shall be required to be performed by any pauper who shall be entered in the register as professing the Roman Catholic religion, on any of the following days observed as holidays in the Roman Catholic Church: that is to say, — the 1st and 6th days of March, the 29th day of June, the 15th day of August, the 1st day of November, Ascension Day, and Corpus Christi Day.
Punishments for misbehavior of paupers.
Article 38. — Any pauper who shall neglect to observe such of the Regulations herein contained as are applicable to and binding on him:
Or who shall make any noise when silence is ordered to be kept;
Or who shall use obscene or profane language;
Or shall by word or deed insult or revile any person;
Or shall threaten to strike or to assault any person;
Or shall not duly cleanse his person;
Or shall refuse or neglect to work, after having been required to do so;
Or shall pretend sickness;
Or shall play at cards or other game of chance;
Or shall enter, or attempt to enter, without permission, the ward or yard appropriated to any class of paupers, other than that to which he belongs;
Or shall misbehave at public worship, or at prayers;
Or shall return after the appointed time of absence when allowed to quit the workhouse temporarily;
Or shall willfully disobey any lawful order of any officer of the workhouse;
Shall be deemed disorderly.
Article 39. — Any pauper who shall, within seven days, repeat any one or commit more than one of the offences specified in Article 38;
Or who shall by word or deed insult or revile the Master or Matron, or any other officer of the workhouse, or any of the Guardians;
Or shall willfully disobey any lawful order of the Master or Matron after such order shall have been repeated;
Or shall attempt to introduce any fermented or spirituous liquors or tobacco, without lawful authority;
Or shall unlawfully strike or otherwise unlawfully assault any person;
Or shall willfully or mischievously damage or soil any property whatsoever belonging to the Board of Guardians;
Or shall be drunk;
Or shall commit any act of indecency;
Or shall willfully disturb the other inmates during prayers or divine worship;
Or shall climb over any wall or fence, or attempt to quit the workhouse premises in any irregular mode;
Or shall attempt to convey out of the workhouse any clothes or other articles belonging to the Board of Guardians;
Shall be deemed Refractory.
Article 40. — It shall be lawful for the Master of the workhouse, with or without the directions of the Board of Guardians, to punish any disorderly pauper, by requiring such pauper, for a time not exceeding two days, to reform one or two hours' extra work, in each day, and by withholding all milk or buttermilk which such pauper would otherwise receive with his meals.
Article 41. — It shall be lawful for the Board of Guardians, by a special direction to be entered on their minutes, to order any refractory pauper to be punished by confinement in a separate room, with or without an increase in the time of work and an alteration of diet, similar in kind and duration to that prescribed in Article 40 for disorderly paupers; but no pauper shall be so confined for a longer period than twenty—four hours; or if it be deemed right that such pauper shall be carried before a Justice of the Peace, and if such a period of twenty—four hours should be insufficient for that purpose, then for such further time as may be necessary for such purpose.