The Memoirs of Emily Bennett – Emigration

(Transcribed by Kirsty Sherwood, a great great granddaughter of Emily Bennett)

At the time¹ I speak of, Emigration was going on, therefore servants very plentiful and goods vessels used to come in periodically and bring great numbers of serving men and women. They were brought from the ships to what were called the Emigration Barrack top of King Street since used by Mr. Garrett, the Curator of Intestate Estates and by Judge Owen Master in Lunacy².

The women used to stand in long rows and Ladies wishing to procure a servant used to interview them and choose to their liking. My Mother took me there once and we brought home a very pretty young Irish girl who stayed with us for 6 years during which time she helped her young husband and a sister out from the old country.

These young women were not always very intelligent³, not having the same conditions at home. For example, I remember my mother gave one of them a box of matches to light the fire with and on going down to breakfast found no fire alight. On being asked the reason, she said “sure as I put the whole box of sticks in, but never a bit did they light a fire, that’s the best of Ireland we never let our fire out”. Another time she was told to clean and dust out the drawing room, which of course was carpeted. She certainly cleaned it by scrubbing the carpet with water and a brush.

Notes

1. If we assume that Emily was in her teens, this would have been in the 1860’s. In 1848, what had originally been the Convict Barracks became the Female Immigration Depot and it continued in this role until 1886. Prior to 1848 the “Emigration Barracks” had been located opposite the northern end of Phillip St, which at that time terminated at Bent Street. (For “A short history of the Hyde Park Barracks” follow this link.)

2. Emily is identifying the building for her readers, by mentioning the occupants of the building current at the time she was writing (c.1917).
3. Here Emily appears to be confusing intelligence with life experience. It is difficult to chastise a great grandmother for political incorrectness, but it reflects the thinking of the times (and it will probably not be the last time we encounter this sort of prejudice as we transcribe her reminiscences).