When war was declared in 1914 Major Henry Lefroy, a relation of the Lefroys of Cardenton, Athy, was given command of a recruiting area of the Munster Fusiliers and the Royal Irish Regiment. He was later to report that recruits coming forward invariably said "Leave out the cry 'come and fight for our home' we have none, our homes are not fit for animals". Lefroy suggested to his superiors that an Act similar to the Labourers Act under which Boards of Guardians provided houses for agricultural workers should be brought in to provide houses for soldiers on their return from the war.
A Parliamentary Bill was eventually brought forward and all recruiting officers were instructed to tell recruits that approximately 40,000 houses would be provided for Irish ex-soldiers at the end of the Great War. The Bill became law in 1919.
On the passing of the Irish Treaty in December 1921 the British Government reduced the number of houses to be provided to 3,600 for the entire 32 counties. At the same time a Trust was established and provided with £1.3 million to complete the building programme at a maximum cost of £500 per house. Difficulties between the Trustees delayed the implementation of the scheme. It was not until 1925 that the Trustees sanctioned a scheme of six cottages for ex-soldiers in Athy.
In a letter dated the 6th of May, 1925 Major Lefroy confirmed that
"the Trustees agreed to commence building six houses at Athy ......the estimate for the scheme being £545.00 per house ......... each with a floor area of 542 sq. ft." Expressing regret that the Trustees financial position did not allow them to erect houses of a class to which they believe the ex-service men to be entitled, Major Lefroy considered that the promises made to the ex-service men were not kept even though "this small and inferior (house) type exceeds the available amount per house".
The six houses were erected on lands formerly known as the Bleach Yard, an area in which flax was laid out for drying and bleaching in the 18th century. The cottages are known to this day as The Bleach Cottages, although older residents often refer to them as Sydney Terrace after Sydney Minch of Rockfield House who was the local representative of the British Legion for many years.
In 1983 I interviewed the late Mrs. Cathy Kelly who for many years was housekeeper to the Dominicans and who lived in the area. She recalled the original tenants appointed to the Bleach Cottages in 1926. Tom Aldridge was in No. 1 and next door was Mrs. Casey, later Mrs. Archie Sullivan, whose first husband died from wounds inflicted in World War I. Pat or "Sixty" Kelly lived in No. 3. He was Caretaker in the Town Hall for many years and sported a waxed moustache and a nickname which was reputed to be his Army number. The last of the original tenants according to Mrs. Kelly was Mick Dunphy who lived in the corner house at No. 6.
The fallibility of memory no doubt led my informant to give me four additional names as original tenants of what was a six house scheme. Those named were Messrs. Houlihan, Corcoran, Donnelly, and Mrs. Crampton formerly Youell. The origin of the Bleach Cottages is undoubtedly known to many. What is not known are the untold stories which each of those original tenants could tell of the horrors of War and the pain and suffering of those who lost loved ones.
Showing posts with label Eye on the Past 71. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Eye on the Past 71. Show all posts
Friday, January 28, 1994
Friday, January 21, 1994
Athy Workhouse
On the 9th of January, 1844 the newly built Workhouse in Athy opened for the first time. Earlier that morning the Board of Guardians met in the Board Room to decide on the meal times and diets of the inmates who had to enter and live in the Workhouse to qualify for relief.
Adults were to have breakfast at 9.30a.m. and dinner at 4.00p.m. Children would eat at 9.00a.m. and 2.00p.m. and have an additional meal at 7.00 p.m.
The diet laid down by the Board of Guardians under the Chairmanship of Sir Anthony Weldon was in keeping with the Poor Law Commissioners recommendation of providing minimal sustenance so as not to encourage poor people to come to the Workhouse.
Adults were to receive for breakfast seven ounces of oatmeal made into stirabout with one pint of mixed milk and for dinner three and a half pounds of potatoes with one pint of buttermilk. The harshness of this diet was marginally improved when the Board of Guardians agreed on the 15th of February, 1844 to allow each adult an extra ounce of oatmeal for breakfast. The Guardians however reviewed this decision within a fortnight and on the 29th of February returned the adults to their original breakfast of seven ounces of oatmeal, but in addition allowed each man and woman to have supper in the evening consisting of two pounds of potatoes with half a pint of buttermilk.
Young persons between the age of three years and fifteen years were to receive a breakfast of four ounces of oatmeal made into a stirabout with half a pint of sweetmilk. For dinner each got five pounds of potatoes with half a pint of buttermilk and supper consisted of a quarter pound of bread with half a pint of buttermilk.
Infants up to three years had for breakfast two ounces of oatmeal made into stirabout and each day received a half a pound of bread with one pint of sweetmilk. Women nursing children in addition to the adult fare also got one pint of sweetmilk each night while infants without mothers were to get half a pound of bread and one quart of sweetmilk until they were nine years old.
At the end of their meeting The Board of Guardians approved the first admissions to Athy Workhouse and that night five men, four women, ten boys, five girls and one infant slept in the Workhouse.
On entering, the paupers as they were classified, were bathed, their clothes were removed and they were supplied with the Workhouse uniform. Men and women were segregated as the separation of the sexes was seen as a fundamental requirement to maintaining discipline in the Workhouse.
Built to accommodate 360 adults and 240 children the Workhouse had 300 inmates on 2 January 1845. On 7th October of that year the numbers had increased to 390 but within two months as the potato famine worsened the number of inmates increased to 615.
On the 26th of December, 1846 there were 732 inmates of which 65 were in the Workhouse hospital and 482 were children under 15 years. The returns for Athy Workhouse for the four months to the 1st of May, 1847 showed that 174 inmates died in the Workhouse in that period.
In the first week of 1849 the number of Workhouse inmates had jumped to 1,399, during that same week 13 persons died in the Workhouse. The overcrowding in the workhouse was alleviated by the opening of two auxiliary Workhouses in the town. One located in Barrack Street occupied a row of five houses while a second auxiliary Workhouse was a store belonging to the Grand Canal Company at Woodstock South.
The Workhouse system was by then part of the lives of the local people and would remain so until the emergence of the Irish Free State.
Adults were to have breakfast at 9.30a.m. and dinner at 4.00p.m. Children would eat at 9.00a.m. and 2.00p.m. and have an additional meal at 7.00 p.m.
The diet laid down by the Board of Guardians under the Chairmanship of Sir Anthony Weldon was in keeping with the Poor Law Commissioners recommendation of providing minimal sustenance so as not to encourage poor people to come to the Workhouse.
Adults were to receive for breakfast seven ounces of oatmeal made into stirabout with one pint of mixed milk and for dinner three and a half pounds of potatoes with one pint of buttermilk. The harshness of this diet was marginally improved when the Board of Guardians agreed on the 15th of February, 1844 to allow each adult an extra ounce of oatmeal for breakfast. The Guardians however reviewed this decision within a fortnight and on the 29th of February returned the adults to their original breakfast of seven ounces of oatmeal, but in addition allowed each man and woman to have supper in the evening consisting of two pounds of potatoes with half a pint of buttermilk.
Young persons between the age of three years and fifteen years were to receive a breakfast of four ounces of oatmeal made into a stirabout with half a pint of sweetmilk. For dinner each got five pounds of potatoes with half a pint of buttermilk and supper consisted of a quarter pound of bread with half a pint of buttermilk.
Infants up to three years had for breakfast two ounces of oatmeal made into stirabout and each day received a half a pound of bread with one pint of sweetmilk. Women nursing children in addition to the adult fare also got one pint of sweetmilk each night while infants without mothers were to get half a pound of bread and one quart of sweetmilk until they were nine years old.
At the end of their meeting The Board of Guardians approved the first admissions to Athy Workhouse and that night five men, four women, ten boys, five girls and one infant slept in the Workhouse.
On entering, the paupers as they were classified, were bathed, their clothes were removed and they were supplied with the Workhouse uniform. Men and women were segregated as the separation of the sexes was seen as a fundamental requirement to maintaining discipline in the Workhouse.
Built to accommodate 360 adults and 240 children the Workhouse had 300 inmates on 2 January 1845. On 7th October of that year the numbers had increased to 390 but within two months as the potato famine worsened the number of inmates increased to 615.
On the 26th of December, 1846 there were 732 inmates of which 65 were in the Workhouse hospital and 482 were children under 15 years. The returns for Athy Workhouse for the four months to the 1st of May, 1847 showed that 174 inmates died in the Workhouse in that period.
In the first week of 1849 the number of Workhouse inmates had jumped to 1,399, during that same week 13 persons died in the Workhouse. The overcrowding in the workhouse was alleviated by the opening of two auxiliary Workhouses in the town. One located in Barrack Street occupied a row of five houses while a second auxiliary Workhouse was a store belonging to the Grand Canal Company at Woodstock South.
The Workhouse system was by then part of the lives of the local people and would remain so until the emergence of the Irish Free State.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)