Poor Law Union Minutes – Gorey

The workhouse in Gorey was constructed on a seven acre site to the south-west of the town at a cost of £5,675 (with an additional £1,025 for fittings &c). Built to accommodate 500 persons, its first admissions took place on 22 January 1842. At the height of the famine in mid-1847, admissions had risen significantly to 715 inmates.

The minutes of the weekly meetings of the Gorey Board of Guardians include statistical data on the weekly number of admissions, discharges, births and deaths. They also record the dietary provision of the paupers and brief reports from the Master and from the Visiting Committee. The Earl Grey assisted female emigration scheme (1848-50) will be of particular interest to those researching their family history. In addition to each prospective female emigrant’s name, age and qualifications (i.e. their ability to read, write, spell, knit, sew, wash), the Gorey minutes include the length of time that each girl had been an inmate in the workhouse – this is particularly valuable given that the registers of admissions and registers of discharges for this union have not survived.

The minute books for Gorey poor law union (1840-1919) are being digitised on a phased basis over a three-year period. We are delighted to make available the first 30 volumes now which cover the period January 1840 to March 1862. Each volume is in Acrobat (PDF) format – please note that some of the files may take a while to download due to their size.

WX/BG 94/1/124 January 1840 – 14 January 1843PDF 148 MB
WX/BG 94/1/221 January 1843 – 12 April 1845PDF 371 MB
WX/BG 94/1/319 April 1845 – 31 January 1846PDF 146 MB
WXCA/BG 94/1/47 February 1846 – 5 December 1846PDF 172 MB
WX/BG 94/1/512 December 1846 – 8 November 1847PDF 200 MB
WX/BG 94/1/613 November 1847 – 8 January 1848PDF 44 MB
WX/BG 94/1/715 January 1848 – 11 November 1848PDF 105 MB
WX/BG 94/1/818 November 1848 – 17 November 1849PDF 112 MB
WX/BG 94/1/924 November 1849 – 30 March 1850PDF 43 MB
WX/BG 94/1/106 April 1850 – 23 November 1850PDF 87 MB
WX/BG 94/1/1130 November 1850 – 14 June 1851PDF 84 MB
WX/BG 94/1/1221 June 1851 – 10 January 1852PDF 84 MB
WX/BG 94/1/1317 January 1852 – 7 August 1852PDF 84 MB
WX/BG 94/1/1414 August 1852 – 5 March 1853PDF 75 MB
WX/BG 94/1/1512 March 1853 – 1 October 1853PDF 74 MB
WX/BG 94/1/168 October 1853 – 18 March 1854PDF 76 MB
WX/BG 94/1/1725 March 1854 – 23 September 1854PDF 70 MB
WX/BG 94/1/187 April 1855 – 29 September 1855PDF 79 MB
WX/BG 94/1/196 October 1855 – 29 March 1856PDF 77 MB
WX/BG 94/1/205 April 1856 – 28 March 1857PDF 183 MB
WX/BG 94/1/214 April 1857 – 26 September 1857PDF 81 MB
WX/BG 94/1/223 October 1857 – 27 March 1858PDF 80 MB
WX/BG 94/1/233 April 1858 – 25 September 1858PDF 79 MB
WX/BG 94/1/242 October 1858 – 26 March 1859PDF 80 MB
WX/BG 94/1/252 April 1859 – 24 September 1859PDF 73 MB
WX/BG 94/1/261 October 1859 – 24 March 1860PDF 71 MB
WX/BG 94/1/2724 March 1860 – 22 September 1860PDF 164 MB
WX/BG 94/1/2829 September 1860 – 23 March 1861PDF 81 MB
WX/BG 94/1/2930 March 1861 – 21 September 1861PDF 79 MB
WX/BG 94/1/3028 September 1861 – 29 March 1862PDF 85 MB
WX/BG 94/1/315 April 1862 – 27 September 1862PDF 178 MB
WX/BG 94/1/324 October 1862 – 28 March 1863PDF 176 MB
WX/BG 94/1/334 April 1863 – 26 September 1863PDF 180 MB
WX/BG 94/1/343 October 1863 – 2 April 1864PDF 214 MB
WX/BG 94/1/359 April 1864 – 1 October 1864PDF 205 MB
WX/BG 94/1/368 October 1864 – 8 April 1865PDF 187 MB
WX/BG 94/1/37Missing Volume
WX/BG 94/1/3821 April 1866 – 6 October 1866PDF 192 MB
WX/BG 94/1/3913 October 1866 – 6 April 1867PDF 177 MB
WX/BG 94/1/4013 April 1867 – 12 October 1867PDF 212 MB
WX/BG 94/1/4119 October 1867 – 28 March 1868PDF 190 MB
WX/BG 94/1/424 April 1868 – 3 October 1868PDF 211 MB
WX/BG 94/1/4310 October 1868 – 17 April 1869PDF 222 MB
WX/BG 94/1/4424 April 1869 – 23 October 1869PDF 208 MB
WX/BG 94/1/4530 October 1869 – 14 May 1870PDF 224 MB
WX/BG 94/1/4621 May 1870 – 19 November 1870PDF 222 MB
WX/BG 94/1/4726 November 1870 – 27 May 1871PDF 216 MB
WX/BG 94/1/483 June 1871 – 2 December 1871PDF 202 MB
WX/BG 94/1/499 December 1871 – 8 June 1872PDF 177 MB
WX/BG 94/1/50Missing Volume
WX/BG 94/1/5121 December 1872 – 27 December 1873PDF 361 MB
WX/BG 94/1/523 January 1874 – 27 June 1874PDF 162 MB
WX/BG 94/1/53Missing Volume
WX/BG 94/1/549 January 1875 – 10 July 1875PDF 177 MB
WX/BG 94/1/5517 July 1875 – 8 January 1876PDF 147 MB
WX/BG 94/1/5615 January 1876 – 8 July 1876PDF 150 MB
WX/BG 94/1/5722 July 1876 – 6 January 1877PDF 150 MB
WX/BG 94/1/58Missing Volume
WX/BG 94/1/5914 July 1877 – 29 December 1877PDF 142 MB
WX/BG 94/1/605 January 1878 – 29 June 1878PDF 160 MB
WX/BG 94/1/616 July 1878 – 28 December 1878PDF 163 MB
WX/BG 94/1/624 January 1879 – 28 June 1879PDF 157 MB
WX/BG 94/1/635 July 1879 – 27 December 1879PDF 161 MB
WX/BG 94/1/64Missing Volume
WX/BG 94/1/653 July 1880 – 25 December 1880PDF 153 MB
WX/BG 94/1/66Missing Volume
WX/BG 94/1/672 July 1881 – 31 December 1881PDF 164 MB
WX/BG 87/1/8414 August 1890 – 20 February 1891PDF 390 MB
WX/BG 87/1/855 March 1891 – 10 September 1891PDF 206 MB
WX/BG 87/1/8617 September 1891 – 24 March 1892PDF 198 MB
WX/BG 87/1/8731 March 1892 – 6 October 1892PDF 199 MB
WX/BG 87/1/8813 October 1892 – 20 April 1893PDF 202 MB
WX/BG 87/1/8927 April 1893 – 2 November 1893PDF 194 MB
WX/BG 87/1/909 November 1893 – 10 May 1894PDF 189 MB
WX/BG 87/1/9117 May 1894 – 22 November 1894PDF 203 MB
WX/BG 87/1/9229 November 1894 – 6 June 1895PDF 192 MB
WX/BG 87/1/9312 June 1895 – 19 December 1895PDF 196 MB
WX/BG 87/1/9426 December 1895 – 2 July 1896PDF 208 MB
WX/BG 87/1/959 July 1896 – 14 January 1897PDF 220 MB
WX/BG 87/1/962 January 1897 – 22 July 1897PDF 240 MB
WX/BG 87/1/975 August 1897 – 3 March 1898PDF 246 MB
WX/BG 87/1/9810 March 1898 – 15 September 1898PDF 244 MB
WX/BG 87/1/9922 September 1898 – 16 March 1899PDF 223 MB
WX/BG 87/1/10023 March 1899 – 28 September 1899PDF 239 MB
WX/BG 87/1/1015 October 1899 – 12 April 1900PDF 163 MB
WX/BG 87/1/10219 April 1900 – 25 October 1900PDF 179 MB
WX/BG 87/1/10331 October 1900 – 24 October 1901PDF 296 MB
WX/BG 94/1/12426 August 1911 – 2 March 1912PDF 188 MB
WX/BG 94/1/125Volume Missing
WX/BG 94/1/12621 September 1912 – 29 March 1913PDF 182 MB
WX/BG 94/1/1275 April 1913 – 11 October 1913PDF 187 MB
WX/BG 94/1/12818 October 1913 – 25 April 1914PDF 192 MB
WX/BG 94/1/1292 May 1914 – 7 November 1914PDF 164 MB
WX/BG 94/1/131Volume Missing
WX/BG 94/1/13211 December 1915 – 10 June 1916PDF 160 MB
WX/BG 94/1/13324 June 1916 – 30 December 1916PDF 134 MB
WX/BG 94/1/134Volume Missing
WX/BG 94/1/13521 July 1917 – 26 January 1918PDF 146 MB
WX/BG 94/1/1362 February 1918 – 10 August 1918PDF 136 MB
WX/BG 94/1/13719 August 1918 – 1 March 1919PDF 168 MB
WX/BG 94/1/138Volume Missing
WX-BG 94-1-139Volume Missing