It is clear from historical records found in the big house at Strokestown that the Mahon family landowners of Strokestown during the Famine set about enforcing evictions for those who had rent in arrears and an emigration policy on an extensive scale to remove the poor and destitute from the land. Under the Poor laws in force in Ireland, the Mahon family would have been responsible for the destitute in their area. It was cheaper for them, as all landowners in Ireland at the time, to send the tenant on an assisted emigration passage than to pay for their upkeep in the workhouse. Built in the 18th century by the Pakenham-Mahon family, the family used only about one tenth of the land (about 100 acres) for their own use for hunting, fishing, gardening, the rest of the 10,000acres were rented out to tenant farmers or middle men who would sub let out small plots to tenant farmers.
Terms ....
Rudale system – people from a townland coming together in a collective partnership and rent land in a communal manner.
Clachan – housing settlement in the rundale system
Scalpeen - makeshift shelter that evicted families erected from the remains of their dwellings
In 1847, Mahon was the first of seven landlords to be assassinated in Ireland during this period. Two men were hanged for the murder.
To respond to Famine issues today - please consider a donation to http://www.concern.net
No comments:
Post a Comment