Lesson 7: What did happen?
The failure of the British Government to correct the continuing disaster which lasted over five years caused those who could leave the country , to leave and forced them to face up to all of the trials and tribulations on the voyage and in their new homes.
What did happen
We did look at some of the things that could possibly have been done to alleviate the worst ravages of the Irish Famine.
The Government could have stopped all exports of Irish Foodstuffs as had been done previously. When Ireland had experienced an earlier Famine in 1782-83 , ports were closed in order to keep home grown food for domestic consumption. Food prices were immediately reduced. Merchants protested that this was to their detriment but they were over-ruled. Because of the over-ruling ‘laisser-faire ‘ attitude which prevailed in the Government at the time of the Famine , nothing would be countenanced which would effect the trading position of the merchants.
Meaningful work schemes could have been instituted but instead road works which led nowhere , or schemes which could in no way benefit Ireland to the detriment of British Trade was allowed.
Rates could have levied throughout the United Kingdom at a much earlier stage. It was recognised that by the 1830s that there were almost 3,000,000 living in poverty in Ireland. The action taken under the Poor law Act of 1838 to contend with this number was totally inadequate. Workhouses were built and were administered by Boards of Guardians .In 1845 there were 123 workhouses , offering just 100, 000 places. The Workhouse was the last resort for the Irish Family. To qualify , you had to be absolutely destitute. Families were separated. Men and Women lived in different parts of the building and children separate again.
Conditions were appalling and very often charities were called upon to find fresh clothes and straw for bedding for the inmates. At least there was food , but the inmates were at the tender mercies of those who worked in the Workhouses. However , in some of them, children received rudimentary education , including needlework and sewing.
The Poor Law Unions who were charged with collecting the rates to pay for the running of the Workhouses were running further and further into debt . The British Government believed that the burden of supporting the tenants should be borne by the landlords who had their property there rather than the state put more and more pressure on the landlords to accept this. The problem with the Poor Rate was that it was very localised . There was no effort to spread the burden equally and each locality had to deal with its own problems. It was obvious that it was not working. A new Poor Law Act was passed in 1847. This contained the ‘Gregory Clause’ , which stated that no tenant holding more than a quarter of an acre could be eligible for public assistance . The landlords had demanded that the clause be included. If they were to be held responsible for their tenantry , they also wanted a reason to remove tenants from unworkable sizes of land.
