ABSTRACT
In March of 1883, Sir John Lubbock's daughter, Constance, had written to him from Ireland; her husband, Sydney Buxton, having been posted there as a junior member of the government. She had established a small charitable fund, to which her father had contributed £10, and was wondering how best to spend it for the benefit of the Irish poor. She had thought of using it to buy seed, but was worried that this might ‘tempt a great many … to stay behind and go on trying their luck in this horrible country’ and that, by discouraging emigration, she might actually harm the interests of the people she sought to help. She finally settled on the idea, however, on the basis that ‘… it must be possible for a few people to live in comfort here, if the place is not over crowded’. 1
