Cork Poor Law Union Workhouse Inmate Registers

Cork Poor Law Union Workhouse Inmate (Indoor Relief) Registers Online (Ref: BG69/G)

Cork City and County Archives received a Heritage Council 2026 Stewardship Grant to complete the digitisation and online publication of 29 no. Cork Poor Law Union workhouse Inmate (Indoor Relief) Registers to make them available for wider public access, heritage use, and genealogical and historical research. Cork Poor Law Union covered a large area, including Cork City plus several adjoining areas in the County. (See map below)

View Cork Poor Law Union Registers 1840-1923

Reference Code: BG69/G

Title: Cork Poor Law Union Indoor Relief Registers

Dates: 1840 - 1923 (gaps)

Level of Description: Series

Extent: 29 volumes

Scope and Content: Records details of persons admitted into and discharged from the workhouse. Details are limited but may include: register number, name and surname of pauper, previous register number, sex (the column generally used for the name of admitting officer), age, Adult - Marital Status (single/married/widowed; Child - whether orphan, deserted or bastard, employment or calling (such as labourer, ex-soldier, servant, seaman, tailor  etc) , religious denomination, description of disability if any, name of wife or husband, observations on condition of pauper when admitted (such as, ‘bad’ , and ‘returned from fever hospital’) , electoral division and townland in which resident, date when admitted or when born in the workhouse; date when died or left the workhouse.

Finding Aids: Some volumes have an integrated inmate name index at the front of the book which usually lists the name, age and register number.

13 of the BG69/G register volumes have separate associated name Index books see BG69/GX (hard copy only).