- St Mullins c.1835
How
to get by if you're an Old-Timer
in St. Mullins Circa 1835
Examinations taken by Captain White; T. Nugent Vaughan, Esq.
Parish Of St Mullins - Barony of St Mullins Persons who attended the
Examination - James Byrne, farmer; Mr. Patrick Byrne, farmer; Robert
Doyne, esq. J.P.; Mr John Finn, farmer; Mr Gallavin, farmer; Captain
Hugh Hawkshaw, constable of police; Rev. Mr. Kavenagh, parish priest
of St Mullins; Mr. Thomas Murphy, farmer; Rev. James Saunders, vicar
of Clenagoose; Rev. Mr. Walsh, parish priest of Borris; Mr. George
Whitney, brewer and farmer; John Wilcocks, esq. surgeon.
There
are about 25 destitute persons in the parish, who are infirm through
age; the most general period of life at which they became incapable of
supporting themselves by labour having been at the age of 65. The
proportion of 25 to 6,452, the number of population in 1831, is as one
to 258. All these poor old people live with their relations, and none
are supported either by the gentry or by collections made at places of
religious worship, or by their neighbours or by begging.
The
maintenance of the old and the feeble usually devolves, as a matter of
course, on their nearest relations; and the claims of kindred are
considered to extend in this way as far as to the second cousin. The
heads of families in all instances look upon the support they derive
from their children as a debt due to them, as proper possessors of the
land, which they have surrendered to the latter; and in order to
diminish the burthen which they would otherwise be on the industry of
their offspring, it is customary with them, instead of remaining with
any one child, to stay for a month at a time at the house of each, in
order that they may not “wear out their welcome” in any. In this
manner their maintenance presses moderately on all, and is never the
cause of complaints or ill feeling.
Of
those who do not continue to reside with their relations few live
amongst their neighbours, getting their breakfast in one place and
their dinner in another; but none of them derive any assistance from
subscriptions made among the unmarried
labourers, whose wages would
not admit of such aid; and there is but a single instance where an old
person has received a remittance from their friends who had emigrated;
and this was a poor woman who inherited 6l (ie ‘6) and a watch on the
death of her son, and obtained them safely from America.
Those
who are not maintained in either of the two preceding ways go about
the neighbourhood with wallets, and endeavour to collect as much food
as supplies their wants. The disinclination, however, to adopt this
last resource is very great. It is looked upon as disgraceful, and
severe and protracted privation often precedes it.
There
are no gentry resident in the parish, and only three poor persons are
maintained by the proprietors of the soil, of which the greater
portion belongs to one individual, who resides in the adjoining
barony. Money is not collected at any place of public worship, nor is
there any alms house in the parish. The witnesses unanimously express
a conviction that it would be quite impossible for a labouring man, in
consequence of the lowness of wages, to make any
provision during his youth against the wants of old age. But
notwithstanding this declared opinion, there were some who, when
consulted as to their sentiments on the propriety of some legal
provision for the old, completely lost their temper at the
contemplation of a possible tax and vowed that they never would
contribute either to a poor rate or any other rate.
From
Selection of parochial examinations relative to the destitute
classes in Ireland:
from the evidence received by His Majesty's
Commissioners for Enquiring into the condition of the Poorer
Classes
in Ireland; by
authority of Commissioners Appointed to Inquire into
the Condition of the Poorer Classes in Ireland (Great Britain),
p. 142-143. (Milliken, 1835; Google eBook)
Source: Turtle Bunbury <turtlehistory@gmail.com>
