Congested Districts Board A comprehensive collection of reports, accounts, maps and letters, apparently from the collection of Sir Matthew Nathan, British Undersecretary for Ireland 1914 - 16,...

Congested Districts Board A comprehensive collection of reports, accounts, maps and letters, apparently from the collection of Sir Matthew Nathan, British Undersecretary for Ireland 1914 - 16, with his signatures etc. The Archive includes board minutes and agendas, internal memoranda, printed and manuscript reports, large collection of correspondence, a large map showing the areas of the Board's operations, and a wide variety of internal and external material form about 1903 to 1916. To list it in its entirety would be a mammoth task, contained in four large box files. The Congested Districts Board was established in 1891, with a view to improving conditions and relieving distress in the 'congested' or overpopulated areas off the Western and mid-Western counties of Ireland. Initially it was funded from the disestablishment of the Church of Ireland. It built roads, harbours etc and made other efforts to encourage a fishing industry, supported cottage industries and attempted to modernize farming methods. It was also authorised to buy land from large estates with a view to improving small holdings. In 1909 it was granted powers of compulsory purchase, and it redistributed a thousand estates, totalling two million acres. it was dissolved by the Free State government in 1923, and its functions handed over to the Land Commission. It is regarded as one of the more successful British initiatives to improve Irish Affairs. * This appears to be a full file of material from the Undersecretary's Office, and may be the only record of much of this material. At a very rough estimate there must be several thousand pages of material. it is not well organised, but appears generally to be in very good condition, and would certainly reward a more detailed study. As an Archive, w.a.f. (1)

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