Workhouse Personalities-Kitty and Mary Madden

Nenagh Guardian, Examination of Kitty Madden, 27 July 1864

In light of the recent Madden Gathering at the Workhouse, we have been looking at the Maddens admitted here over the years. The most riveting case we have found revolves around Mary Madden and her mother, Kitty. 

Mary Madden was born about 1834. She was paralyzed, blind and suffered from seizures. It was reported that Kitty Madden carried on caring for her daughter until the elderly lady could no longer even take care of herself. After admission to the workhouse, there are reports of another inmate in the workhouse, Judy Solon, taking care of Mary Madden on occasions. However, the story of Kitty Madden and her daughter does not end here.

Kitty is mentioned in newspaper articles after appearing as a witness in a workhouse inquiry. The inquiry looked into the mistreatment of paupers and their allegations of substandard food. It was stated that the Indian meal used in the workhouse to make bread was ‘blue mould and musty’. After Mary was fed the bread, she vomited three times. 

Outside the workhouse, living rough, Kitty gathered berries and begged in order to sustain herself. She had tried to give her daughter a better life by bringing her to the workhouse. However after seeing the diet her daughter was subjected to, Kitty refused to come into the workhouse herself. She also decided that she would not allow her daughter to die on the diet and so later took her out of the workhouse. It seems that Mary Madden may not have survived long after this as there is a death certificate in her name, registered in the Portumna district in 1865. Did her stay in Portumna Workhouse hasten her demise, and just how bad were the conditions there to compel an elderly woman to take her chances living off berries and begging?

Author: James Hobbins (GMIT Intern)




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