| Collection Description | The workhouse in New Ross was constructed on a ten acre site at a cost of £7,600 in addition to £1,550 for
fittings &c. Built to accommodate 900 persons, it was the largest of the four workhouses in County Wexford and
received its first admissions on 22 January 1842 (the earliest extant minute book dates from March 1844). At
the height of the famine in mid-June 1847, admissions had risen significantly to 1,120 inmates. The minutes of
the weekly meetings of the 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. The minute books are being digitised on a phased
basis over a three year period [Wexford County Archives] |
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