The beginning of administration for
county Carlow can be traced back to 1328, under powers
granted by King Edward the Third. The administrative staff
consisted of a Sheriff and a sub-Sheriff together with
clerks and record keepers.
There were also Sergeants and Keepers
of the King's Peace.
There was also units established for
the functional administration of justice.
An Act of 1634 authorised the Justice /
Magistrate of the Assize, with the consent of the Grand
Jury, to construct and repair roads and bridges.
The cost of this was levied against the
county and barony land and property owners.
In 1898 the Local Government Act was
enacted, the Grand Jury system was replaced by elected
County Councils.
The first elected chairman of Carlow
County Council was
John Hammond
of Tullow Street, Carlow
(his shop was later owned by Ger Donnelly).
John presided as Chairman from 1888 to
1907.
The population of Carlow County in 1891
was 40,936 and one hundred years later in 1991, the
population was 40,988.
In 1956, the population of the county
dropped to its lowest level since census taking began, at
33,888.