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By the end of the Famine John Stewart Vesey MD had emerged as one of the more prominent members of the workhouse administration, although Rowley Miller of Moneymore as chairman; Andrew Spotswood of Millbrook, Magherafelt as vice chairperson; John Stevenson of Fortwilliam, Tobermore as Deputy vice-chairman, and John Steele as clerk and returning officer were […]
A report from 1843 describing the first, or at least some of the earliest ‘inmates’ sheds light on the many aspects of the life within Magherafelt Poor Law Union and the need to provide for the poor in the first place. The report lists the details surrounding the reasons why nine individuals were residing in […]
After months of planning and the hiring of several key positions, in March 1842 the workhouse was deemed suitable for opening and the first ‘inmates’ were received. For those entering the workhouse in March 1842 it must have been a foreboding experience, as it was for everyone doing so for the first time. On the […]
The surviving minute books of the Magherafelt workhouse provide interesting insights into the furnishing of the workhouse and how the guardians prepared for its official opening. While the comforts of the guardians were amongst the first purchases it did not appear over-elaborate and was in line with other workhouses which were being established at the […]
In advance of the building works being completed the guardians met on a monthly basis in the Town Hall in Magherafelt. In February 1840 it was decided to erect a workhouse capable of holding 900 ‘inmates’ (the term given to paupers who resided in the workhouse and which is used throughout the website). A suitable […]
Perhaps the most important function fell to the clerk, particularly in the early months and years of the workhouse as people were recruited for the various positions which were needed. The annual salary of the Clerk was fixed at £40, and initially there were five applicants for the position in 1840. All five men were […]
In tandem with the operation of the workhouse was the provision of a dispensary system within the Magherafelt Union. The idea here was to provide medical assistance in an effort to prevent people from entering the workhouse, thereby reducing the financial burden on the ratepayers. A parliamentary report of 1841 noted that the union contained […]
Following the passing of the Irish Poor Law Act on 31 July 1838, plans were put in place for the establishment of 130 poor law unions across Ireland. This number would later be increased to 153 during the Great Famine and after. The Magherafelt PLU was created in 25th November 1839 and included only twenty-four […]
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