by Robyn Atcheson

‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.’

For the residents of Belfast in the nineteenth century, Scriptural authority carried a great deal of weight.  This verse from the Gospel of Luke (ch.14 v.21) was frequently used as an example of Christian charity by religious leaders in the town, an example they encouraged their flocks to follow.  Officially, the main churches in Belfast did not adopt policies on poor relief until much later in the century but rather, advocated involvement in voluntary societies to help the poor.  A wide range of such philanthropic organisations existed in Belfast but even if secular in outlook and action, the people involved in such activities frequently had religious motivations.  Donating, collecting, administering and organising charity was commonly seen as a virtuous task and a fulfillment of Christian duty.

Philanthropy could take many forms such as providing basic education for children, offering medical aid, donating clothing, collecting and donating money, or simply providing opportunities for the poor to help themselves.  The idea of self-help was popular throughout the nineteenth century as was the belief that through moral improvement, the poor could better their conditions.  Causes such as rescuing ‘fallen women’ and providing alternative evening activities other than drinking are illustrative of this attempt to boost the morality of the poor.  Some organisations offered purely spiritual aid, visiting the poor in their own homes to read the Bible and encourage them to live morally righteous lives.  The success of such endeavours is questionable but in attempting to help those in need, these philanthropic individuals have provided historians with incredible insight into the lives of the poor.  One such account offers a glimpse into a charitable Christmas Eve in Belfast in 1834 when an agent of the Belfast Town Mission noted that ‘In one house I found a woman and her little child sitting on a wet ground-floor, with little clothing, and no fire. She told me she had no fire since yesterday, and that she had no meat, nor any prospect of getting it; and her neighbours could not relieve her for the present, and a kind lady, upon whom I called, sent her 2s. 6d.’

The reports of charities and their agents offer a first-hand account of some of the conditions and help to build a greater understanding of what it was like to be poor in nineteenth-century Belfast.

Note on author:

This post was contributed by Robyn Atcheson. Robyn is a PhD student on the AHRC-funded project ‘Poverty and public health in Belfast and its region, 1800-1973’ and she presented this poster at our Crumlin Road Gaol event in April 2013. See here for more details on Robyn and click on the image above to view her poster more closely. Come back by the end of the week to see the poster contributed by Stuart Irwin on the ‘Shankill Town Mission’.