Trollheart

Article 21.—The paupers of the several classes shall be kept employed according to their capacity and ability ; but no pauper shall work on his own account, or on account of any party other than the Board of Guardians ; and no pauper shall receive any compensation for his labour.

Article 22. —The boys and girls who are inmates of the workhouse shall, for fee of the working hours at least every day, be instructed in reading, writing, arithmetic, and the principles of the Christian religion; and such other instruction shall he imparted to them as shall fit them for service, and train them to habits of usefulness, industry, and virtue.

So we can see above that the paupers would certainly not be paid for their work, moreover they were not allowed to “sub in” for each other, i.e., no one pauper could undertake the work of another for any reason; initiative would certainly not be rewarded, might even be punished. Everything from the clothes they wore to what they ate, how they ate it and when they got up and went to bed was determined by the Poor Law Commissioners, and you can bet that those boys didn’t stump up for proper grub. Let them eat gruel, huh?

You could leave the poorhouse but you had to make an appointment. This, again, is shown in London’s People of the Abyss, where he notices that departure, despite what Article 23 tells us, was often delayed while inmates were forced to sit through a length Bible-bashing mass service, whether they wanted it or not. Such delays - often lasting hours - impacted upon the paupers making any possible interviews for work they might have had, and then getting back to the poorhouse, or another, in time before the gates shut.

Article 23.—Any pauper may quit the workhouse upon giving the master three hours’ previous notice of his wish to do so ; but no such pauper shall carry with him any clothes or other articles belonging to the Board of Guardians, without the express permission of the master or matron.

Article 24.—No pauper having a family dependent on him shall so quit the workhouse without taking the whole of such family with him ; nor shall anv pauper, after so quitting the workhouse, be again received therein, except in one of the modes prescribed in Article 1 for the admission of paupers.

I guess Article 24 then makes it impossible for a father or mother to desert their family and leave them behind, or for children to abandon their parents. A real case of one out, all out. Or, you know, in. Article 26 seems to have allowed the “master” and higher-level staff of the poorhouse to use the inmates to run errands, perhaps?

Article 26.—The master of the workhouse may allow the paupers of each sex under the age of 16, subject to such restrictions as the Board of Guardians may impose, to quit the workhouse under the care and guidance of himself, or the matron, schoolmaster, schoolmistress, porter, or some one of the assistants and servants of the workhouse, for the purpose of exercise.

But no visitors, no reading (in other words, no attempt to educate themselves or be educated) and absolutely, under no circumstances, any fun, as Articles 27 - 29 make clear:

Article 27 .-No person shall visit any pauper in the workhouse, except by permission of the master, or (in his absence) of the matron, and subject to such conditions and restrictions as the Board of Guardians may prescribe ; such interview shall take place, except where a sick pauper is visited, in a room separate from the other inmates of the workhouse, in the presence of the master, matron, or porter.

Article 28.—No written or printed paper of an improper tendency shall be allowed to circulate, nor be read aloud among the inmates of the workhouse.

(I wonder if by “improper tendency” they mean Catholic, or Irish nationalist papers?)

Article 29.—No pauper shall play at cards, nor at any game of chance, in the workhouse ; and it shall be lawful for the master to take from any pauper, and to keep -until his departure from the workhouse, any cards, dice, or other articles relating to games of chance, which may be in his possession.

The iron-tight grip of Protestant religion makes itself clear in Articles 31 - 33

Article 31.—Any regular minister of the religious persuasion of any inmate of the workhouse who shall, at any time in the day, on the request of any inmate, enter the workhouse for the purpose of affording religious assistance to him, or for the purpose of instructing his child or children in the principles or his religion, : shall give such assistance or instruction so as not to interfere with the good order and discipline of the other inmates of the workhouse; and such Religious Assistance or instruction shall be strictly confined to inmates who are of the religious persuasion of such minister, and to the children of such inmates.

Article 32. —If any inmate of the age of 15 years and upwards, of sound mind, shall desire to be registered as of a different religious denomination different from that which is entered in the register as his religious denomination, or if the parents or surviving parent of any child under the age of 15 shall desire, in like manner, to have the register amended in respect of the religious denomination such child; in either of such cases, if the guardians shall, after due inquiry and personal examination, of the party expressing such desire that the present religious persuasion of any inmate is wrongly described in the register, they shall cause the register to be amended accordingly.

And

Article 33.—If any inmate, being of sound mind, shall desire to be visited by a minister of any religious denomination different from that which is in the register as the religious denomination of such inmate, the request shall be made to the master of the workhouse, who shall report such to the Board of Guardians at their next meeting; and the guardians shall give directions thereon as may appear to them fitting and. expedient; provided that in any case of urgency affecting the life of an inmate, the master shall, of his own discretion, permit such inmate to be visited at once, and communicate such request to such minister accordingly.

Meaning that if you wanted to see a priest not of your own faith (or the faith “entered in the register”, which could I suppose easily be “mistakenly” entered as Protestant) you would have to have your request submitted to the master, who would submit it to the Board, who would consider it at their next board meeting - whenever that was - then get back to the master who would in his own good time no doubt get back to you. One can only assume that if the minister in question was a Catholic, the request would get bogged down in delays, or be refused outright.

Hey, at least Article 34 gave them Christmas Day off!

Article 34.—No work, except the necessary household work and cooking shall be performed by the paupers on Sunday, Good Friday, and Christmas Day,

Plenty of room for God though…

Article 35.—Prayers shall be read before breakfast and after supper every day, and divine service shall be performed every Sunday in the workhouse (unless the guardians, with the consent of the Poor Law Commissioners, shall otherwise direct) ; at which prayers and service all the paupers shall attend, except the sick, persons of unsound mind, the young children, and such. as are too infirm to do so ; provided that those paupers who may object so to attend on account of their religious principles shall also be exempt from such attendance.

Article 37 lays out the rules, breakage of which carry various punishments.

Punishments for Misbehaviour of Paupers.

Article 36.—Any pauper who shall neglect to observe such of the regulations herein contained as are applicable to and binding on him ;
Or who shall make any noise when silence is ordered to be kept ;
Or who shall use obscene or profane language ; Or shall by word or deed insult or revile any person j •
Or shall threaten to strike or to assault any person ;
Or shall not duly cleanse his person ;
Or shall refuse or neglect to work, after having been required to do so;
Or shall pretend sickness;
Or shall play at cards or other game of chance ;
Or shall enter, or attempt to enter, without permission, the ward or yard appropriated to any class of paupers, other than that to which he belongs ;
Or shall misbehave at public worship, or at prayers ;
Or shall not return after the appointed time of absence, when allowed to quit the workhouse temporarily ; Or shall wilfully disobey any lawful order of any officer of the workhouse ; ., 1 . shall be deemed Disorderly.

Article 37.—Any pauper who shall, within seven days, repeat any one or commit more than one of the offences specified in Article 36, or who shall by word or deed insult or revile the master or matron, or any other officer of the workhouse, or any of the guardians ;
Or shall wilfully disobey any lawful order of the master or matron after such order shall have been repeated ;
Or shall attempt to introduce any fermented or spirituous liquors or tobacco, without lawful authority;
Or shall unlawfully strike or otherwise unlawfully assault any person ;
Or shall wilfully or mischievously damage or soil any property whatsoever belonging to the guardians ;
Or shall wilfully waste or spoil any provisions, stock, tools, or materials for work, belonging to the guardians ;
Or shall be drunk ;
Or shall commit any act of indecency ;
Or shall wilfully disturb the other inmates during prayers or divine worship;
Or shall climb over any wall or fence, or attempt to quit the workhouse premises in any irregular mode;
Or shall attempt to convey out of the workhouse any clothes or other articles belonging to the Board of Guardians ; shall be deemed refractory

Article 38 then laid out the punishments

Article 38.—It shall be lawful for the master of the workhouse, with or Without the directions of the Board of Guardians, to punish any disorderly pauper, by requiring such pauper, for a time not exceeding two days, to perform one hour’s extra work in each day, and by withholding all milk or buttermilk which such pauper would otherwise receive with his meals.

Article 39.—It shall be lawful for the Board of Guardians, by a special direction to be entered on their minutes, to order any refractory pauper, to be punished by confinement in a separate room, with or without an increase in the time of work and an alteration of diet, similar in kind and duration to that prescribed in Article 38 for disorderly paupers; but no pauper shall be so confined for a longer period than 24 hours ; or, if it be deemed right that such pauper shall be- carried before a Justice of the Peace, and if such period of 24 hours should be insufficient for that purpose, then for such further time as may be necessary for such purpose.

Article 40.—It shall be lawful for the Board of Guardians, by any special or general order, to direct that a dress different from that of the other inmates shall be worn by disorderly or refractory paupers, during a period of not more than 48 .hours, jointly with or in lieu of the alteration of diet to which any such pauper might be subjected by the regulations herein contained; but it shall not be lawful for the Board of Guardians to cause any penal dress, or distinguishing mark of disgrace, to be worn by any adult pauper, or class of adult paupers, unless such pauper or paupers shall be disorderly or refractory within the meaning of Articles 36 or 37 of this Order.

Article 41.—If any offence, whereby a pauper becomes refractory under Articles 36 or 37, be accompanied, by any of the following circumstances of aggravation ; that is to say, if such pauper Persist in using violence against any person ;
Or persist in creating a noise or disturbance, so as to annoy a considerable number of the other inmates ;
Or endeavour to excite other paupers to acts of insubordination ;
Or persist in acting indecently or obscenely in the presence of any other inmate;
Or persist in mischievously breaking or damaging any goods or properly of the guardians ; it shall be lawful for the master, without any direction of the Board of Guardians, immediately to place such refractory pauper in confinement for any time not exceeding 13 hours ; which confinement shall, however, be reckoned as part of any punishment afterwards imposed by the Board of Guardians for the same offence. But it shall not be lawful for the master to confine any adult pauper without the direction of the Board of Guardians in that behalf, except in one of the cases specified in this Article.

Article 42.—Every refractory pauper shall be deemed to be also disorderly/, and may be punished as such ; but no pauper who may have been punished for any offence as disorderly shall afterwards be punished for the same offence as refractory ; and no pauper who may have been punished for any offence as refractory shall afterwards be punished for the same offence as disorderly.

Article 43.—No pauper who may have. been under medical care, or who may have been entered in the weekly medical return as sick or infirm, at any time in the course of the seven days next preceding the day of the commission of the offence, or who may be reasonably supposed to be under 12 or above 60 years of age, or who may be pronounced by the medical officer of the workhouse lo be pregnant, or who may be suckling a child, shall be punished by alteration of diet, or by confinement, unless the medical officer shall have previously certified in writing that no injury to the health of such pauper is reasonably to be apprehended from the proposed punishment ; and any modification diminishing such punishment which the medical officer of the workhouse may suggest, shall be adopted by the master.

Article 44:—No pauper shall be confined between eight o’clock in the evening and six o'clock in the morning, without being furnished with a bed and bedding suitable to the season, and with the other proper conveniences.

Article 45.—No child under 12 years of age shall be confined in a dark room, or during the night.

Article 46.—No corporal punishment shall be inflicted on any male child .except by the schoolmaster or master of the workhouse.

Article 47.—No corporal punishment shall be inflicted on any female child.

Article 48.—No corporal punishment shall be inflicted on any male child, except with a rod or other instrument, such as shall be seen and approved by the Board of Guardians or the visiting committee.

Article 49.—No corporal punishment shall be inflicted on any male child until six hours shall have elapsed from the commission of the offence for such punishment is inflicted. .

Article 50.—Whenever any male child is punished by corporal correction, the master and schoolmaster shall (if possible) be both present.

I could go on, but this is getting ridiculous. There are a total of 71 Articles, and it’s clear that few were followed to the letter. After all, who was going to check on them and report them? Most of the masters of these poorhouses, I imagine, would have looked upon these rules as more guidelines or suggestions, and there’s absolutely no doubt that the conditions governing punishment of inmates were routinely broken. Who would take the word of a pauper, even if he or she were to gather the courage to speak up? Most of the men running these institutions would have been highly regarded, men of breeding and status, men whose solemn word would be taken - not even required, in such cases, but assumed to be the truth - were they to be accused of breaking these rules.

What is quite clear from that rather long-winded diversion into the rules and regulations of the Irish poorhouses quite clearly is that they were not fun places to be, nor were they meant to be. They functioned as a source of cheap (slave) labour, as a way of drilling into the poor what their place was, and no doubt allowed many a sadistic “master” to vent his spleen on people about whom nobody cared, to whom nobody listened, and who had no rights. They were, after all, part of one great amorphous, forgotten and neglected mass going under the umbrella term of the poor, or, which is somehow worse, paupers.

A quick count of the poorhouses listed in that document gives me approximately 120 operating in Ireland from south to north and east to west. That was bad enough; the Brits did that to us. But this next was of our own making, to our country’s eternal shame.

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Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018