The reality of life in a Workhouse.
In this article, I discuss Workhouse life in the UK from the 1800's onwards, although Workhouses existed long before then. Prior to the 1834 Poor Law Act, the emphasis was on feeding and sheltering the poor, after the act, the emphasis changed and the work regime was introduced.
It is worth mentioning at this point that America had it's Workhouses, or Poorhouses too, and they were run in much the same way as those in the UK.
The Workhouse was a place where the destitute, the ill, the insane, the very young and the very old had to be cared for. I use the word "cared" loosely, as by today's standards the Workhouse regime does not fit into our definition of caring. People viewed the prospect of going into the workhouse with dread, and tended to avoid it for as long as possible.
Nevertheless it was the last resort for people who had endured a period of very severe hardship, and was the only way that many could continue to survive.
Upon arrival at the workhouse, the prospective pauper would be kept in a holding ward, and then the Medical Officer would examine the person's state of health. If deemed to be of unfit health, the person was placed in the "sick ward". Most workhouses had a school room and a chapel also.
On entry to the workhouse the person would be stripped, bathed and issued with the workhouse uniform, his or her own clothing and possessions would be put away until the person left the workhouse.
The workhouse uniform was usually of very coarse material; the emphasis being on how hardwearing the material was, not how comfortable! Many of the female inmates were put to use making or repairing these uniforms.
When a family arrived at the workhouse, each member was assessed and placed into a specific category. There were seven categories, as follows
1. Aged or infirm men.
2. Able-bodied men, and youths above 13 years.
3. Youths and boys above seven but under 13 years old.
4. Aged or infirm women.
5. Able-bodied women and girls above 16 years old.
6. Girls above seven years old, but under 16 years old.
7. Children under 7 years of age.
Once a person was processed, they were referred to as an "inmate".
So as you can see, families were split into their respective classes, and they rarely got the opportunity to mix together, if at all. I imagine this would have been very upsetting, especially as they could be punished for speaking to each other. Husbands and wives slept in dormitories with those of their own class, and only after a relaxation of the rules in 1847 could a married couple over the age of 60 request to share a separate bedroom!
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