The problem for the student of nineteenth century Irish local history is not that of finding material but rather that of making a good selection from the vast amount of material available. Some of the most important sources for the local historian are the Reports of the Royal Commissions that enquired into the state of Ireland. This article looks at one such source, The Reports of the Commissioners for Inquiring into the Condition of the Poorer classes in Ireland, 1835 - 36.

Recession and falling prices after the Napoleonic wars, together with an expanding population and increasing unemployment led to increasing poverty in Ireland. It was the labouring classes and small landholders who suffered most.

Increasing concern was voiced, both in England and Ireland, about the state of the County but there was no agreement on the kind of remedial measures which ought to be applied. In general it could be said the British favoured the adoption by Ireland of a Poor Law system (the system of workhouse relief) with the Irish landowners and others, including Dan O'Connell, opposing this with the argument that it would result in heavy taxes on the landowners and would do nothing to alleviate the problem. What was needed they argued were more jobs and better wages.

In 1833 the house of Commons ordered that a Royal Commission be appointed to investigate the problem of poverty in Ireland.

First report
The Commission, with Archbishop Whately as Chairman, undertook "the most thorough survey of the conditions of the Irish poor yet attempted". Its first report became available in 1835 and the final report in 1836. The Commissioners reported in favour of public works and "assisted emigration". They argued against the introduction of indoor or outdoor relief on the grounds that it would be impracticable except for the poor and infirm. The Commissioners were in fact proposing a scheme for economic development and not simply poor relief, but this went far beyond what the Government had envisaged or public opinion, especially in England, would tolerate and so, the report was shelved. Instead the government introduced the workhouse system to Ireland in 1838.

The Commission in gathering evidence on social conditions sent out questionnaires to respectable gentlemen in almost every part of Ireland. The returns from these gentlemen were published as appendices to the reports of the Commission. Most of the respondents, if you can judge from the Offaly returns were clergymen.

Social conditions
The questionnaires dealt with social conditions in the parish: employment, wages, diet, housing, conditions of landholding, emigration and so forth. Naturally the thoroughness with which the respondents completed the questionnaires varied. As to reliability one would need to compare the returns with other sources before conclusions could be drawn.

The respondent for Birr was the Rev. Marcus McCausland. Judging from the number of blanks in the reply sheets he does no seem to have been over-concerned with supplying details.

In appendix A to the first report which was concerned with dependents in the parish - deserted or bastard children, widows, aged or infirm, unfortunately McCausland had nothing to say. He tells us that lodgings could be had in Birr for one to three pennies a night. The Rev. W.B. Savage of Kilmurry Ely reported that there were two deserted children in his parish as foundlings. One child was found and given to a nurse but soon after died".

In appendix B to the first report which was concerned with labourers and wages McCausland reported that the diet of labourers usually consisted of potatoes with milk. Wages were from 8d to 10d a day for men and 4d to 6d for women and children. The average wage for an average labourer with an average amount of work for one year was £10 with £3 income from a pig.

In appendix E, on housing, McCausland said that the usual yearly rent for a cabin without land was £1. The house being of mud walls, thatched roof and inferior furniture especially bad bedding. H also remarked that there were 95 public houses in Birr. According to the Rev. William Higgins, Roscrea had 200 public houses, Tullamore according to William Wallace had 72.

Agriculture
In appendix F to the first report, dealing with agriculture, McCausland stated that the average rent of arable land was £1.10s per acre but in the vicinity of Birr town it was £5 per acre. The average size of farm in the parish was from 5 to 20 acres. The Rev. John Dunne of Killoughy parish stated that the average rent of land there was from 8d to £1.3s per acre.

The report of the Commission confirmed the widely held opinion that in Ireland the problem "was not to make the able-bodied look for employment but to find it profitable for the many who seek it". But despite the evidence before the Government it went and did the opposite by introducing the workhouse system.