Clifden Poor Law Union archive collection, Descriptive List, GPL3.pdf

Clifden Poor Law Union
unfavourableness of the weather and scarcity of fish half the number of families in some
districts of this Union shall be in complete destitution before the early spring. We the Clifden
Board of Guardians call upon the Government to give timely relief in the shape of Public Work
and thus prevent a famine which shall otherwise certainly come with all its miseries amongst
us’ (GPL3/56, p149).
In January 1883 the Board received a letter from the Board of Works‟ Solicitor advising that
the Board‟s cheque of £53.5.4 had been dishonoured and the Clerk of the Union advised the
Board that „…there were no funds to meet this or any other cheque’. The Board resolved to
„…undertake to pay the Treasurer moderate interest of £500 for three months to meet the
current expenses of the Union…‟ (GPL3/56, p249). At its subsequent meeting it „...earnestly
and respectfully’ begged the Government to commence public works „at once’ (GP3/56, p251).
At its meeting on 4 th April 1883 the LGB Inspector, Mr Robinson, advised the Board that it was
£2,200 in debt and „…as the Board of Works in pursuance of the provisions of the Seed
Supply Act were impounding the money lodged by the collectors, the Guardians were unable
owing to the backward state of the collection to comply with provisions of Co Vic c31 and to
put money in the Relieving Officers hands to administer Relief and that the Clerk of the Union
had advanced over £50 for the payment of milk etc.’ Robinson recommended that the Board
take action against defaulters (GPL3/56, pp369-370). The financial situation was again
discussed at the subsequent meeting when the Board resolved to ‘…obtain a loan of £1,000
for some months on easy terms and the Board request the LGB to use their influence and
cooperation with the Board of Works to recommend the loan’ (GPL3/56, p389). A loan of
£500 was permitted by the LGB and the Commissioners of Public Works agreed that only half
„…of the weekly lodgements being impounded for the Seed Rate etc’ (GPL3/56, p408).
However, in May 1883 the Board resolved ‘…that as the Resolution said to be passed at the
Board meeting on the 11 th April was neither proposed, seconded nor put from the Chair that it
be expunged from the Minutes of said meeting and that we the Guardians of Clifden Union
now bind ourselves not to borrow any money for which interest would have to be paid and
further more we call upon the collectors to use more exertion in the collection of the Rates in
their respective districts so that money may be forthcoming to meet outstanding debt’ (GP3/57,
f4).
In September 1883 the Board advised the LGB that the debt of the Union was ‘…upwards of
£3,000 and no available funds and a balance due Treasurer of £1,500, that the Seed Rate
nearly £4,000 is uncollected, and we believe uncollectable, owing to the large number of
persons emigrated, evicted, dead and left their holdings and that we earnestly, and
respectfully request the LGB to allocate a sufficient grant from the funds at their disposal to
Cartlann Chomhairle Contae na Gaillimhe „…cuimhne dhoiciméadach Chontae na Gaillimhe a shealbhú, a chaomhnú agus a dhéanamh inrochtana’
Galway County Council - Archives „…to acquire, preserve and make accessible the documentary memory of county Galway’
xii.