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.
Vol 1 | 24 January 1840 – 14 January 1843 | PDF 148MB |
Vol 2 | 21 January 1843 – 12 April 1845 | PDF 371MB |
Vol 3 | 19 April 1845 – 31 January 1846 | PDF 146MB |
Vol 4 | 7 Febuary 1846 – 5 December 1846 | PDF 172MB |
Vol 5 | 12 December 1846 – 8 November 1847 | PDF 200MB |
Vol 6 | 13 November 1847 – 8 January 1848 | PDF 44MB |
Vol 7 | 15 January 1848 – 11 November 1848 | PDF 105MB |
Vol 8 | 18 November 1848 – 17 November 1849 | PDF 112MB |
Vol 9 | 24 November 1849 – 30 March 1850 | PDF 43MB |
Vol 10 | 6 April 1850 – 23 November 1850 | PDF 87MB |
Vol 11 | 30 November 1850 – 14 June 1851 | PDF 84MB |
Vol 12 | 21 June 1851 – 10 January 1852 | PDF 84MB |
Vol 13 | 17 January 1852 – 7 August 1852 | PDF 84MB |
Vol 14 | 14 August 1852 – 5 March 1853 | PDF 75MB |
Vol 15 | 12 March 1853 – 1 October 1853 | PDF 74MB |
Vol 16 | 8 October 1853 – 18 March 1854 | PDF 76MB |
Vol 17 | 25 March 1854 – 23 September 1854 | PDF 70MB |
Vol 18 | 7 April 1855 – 29 September 1855 | PDF 79MB |
Vol 19 | 6 October 1855 – 29 March 1856 | PDF 77MB |
Vol 20 | 5 April 1856 – 28 March 1857 | PDF 183MB |
Vol 21 | 4 April 1857 – 26 September 1857 | PDF 81MB |
Vol 22 | 3 October 1857 – 27 March 1858 | PDF 80MB |
Vol 23 | 3 April 1858 – 25 September 1858 | PDF 79MB |
Vol 24 | 2 October 1858 – 26 March 1859 | PDF 80MB |
Vol 25 | 2 April 1859 -24 September 1859 | PDF 73MB |
Vol 26 | 1 October 1859 – 24 March 1860 | PDF 71MB |
Vol 27 | 24 March 1860 – 22 September 1860 | PDF 164MB |
Vol 28 | 29 September 1860 – 23 March 1861 | PDF 81MB |
Vol 29 | 30 March 1861 – 21 September 1861 | PDF 79MB |
Vol 30 | 28 September 1861 – 29 March 1862 | PDF 85MB |
Vol 31 | 5 April 1862 – 27 September 1862 | PDF 178MB |
Vol 32 | 4 October 1862 – 28 March 1863 | PDF 176MB |
Vol 33 | 4 April 1863 – 26 September 1863 | PDF 180MB |
Vol 34 | 3 October 1863 – 2 April 1864 | PDF 214MB |
Vol 35 | 9 April 1864 – 1 October 1864 | PDF 205MB |
Vol 36 | 8 October 1864 – 8 April 1865 | PDF 187MB |
Vol 37 | April 1865 – October 1866 | Missing |
Vol 38 | 21 April 1866 – 6 October 1866 | PDF 192MB |
Vol 39 | 13 October 1866 – 6 April 1867 | PDF 177MB |
Vol 40 | 13 April 1867 – 12 October 1867 | PDF 212MB |
Vol 41 | 19 October 1867 – 28 March 1868 | PDF 190MB |
Vol 42 | 4 April 1868 – 3 October 1868 | PDF 211MB |
Vol 43 | 10 October 1868 – 17 April 1869 | PDF 222MB |
Vol 44 | 24 April 1869 – 23 October 1869 | PDF 208MB |
Vol 45 | 30 October 1869 – 14 May 1870 | PDF 224MB |
Vol 46 | 21 May 1870 – 19 November 1870 | PDF 222MB |
Vol 47 | 26 November 1870 – 27 May 1871 | PDF 216MB |
Vol 48 | 3 June 1871 – 2 December 1871 | PDF 202MB |
Vol 49 | 9 December 1871 – 8 June 1872 | PDF 177MB |
Vol 50 | 1872 | Missing |
Vol 51 | 21 December 1872 – 27 December 1873 | PDF 361MB |
Vol 52 | 3 January 1874 – 27 June 1874 | PDF 162MB |
Vol 53 | 1874 – 1875 | Missing |
Vol 54 | 9 January 1875 – 10 July 1875 | PDF 177MB |
Vol 55 | 17 July 1875 – 8 January 1876 | PDF 147MB |
Vol 56 | 15 January 1876 – 8 July 1876 | PDF 150MB |
Vol 57 | 22 July 1876 – 6 January 1877 | PDF 150MB |
Vol 58 | 1877 | Missing |
Vol 59 | 14 July 1877 – 29 December 1877 | PDF 142MB |
Vol 60 | 5 January 1878 – 29 June 1878 | PDF 160MB |
Vol 61 | 6 July 1878 – 28 December 1878 | PDF 163MB |
Vol 62 | 4 January 1879 – 28 June 1879 | PDF 157MB |
Vol 63 | 5 July 1879 – 27 December 1879 | PDF 161MB |
Vol 64 | 1880 | Missing |
Vol 65 | 3 July 1880 – 25 December 1880 | PDF 153MB |
Vol 66 | 1881 | Missing |
Vol 67 | 2 July 1881 – 31 December 1881 | PDF 164MB |