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2)
The people in the workhouse
The
case of Mrs Beech, above, and a variety of other examples show that people
were not necessarily passive acceptances of workhouse discipline...
Newcastle
Union Minutes, 1 5.2.1841 : Mary
Myatt, 22, bread and water for 1 day for swearing, 4th Feb. 1 2 hours on bread
and water on 5th February for refusing to say grace and insulting the Matron
Minutes,
31.1 .1842: James Horrobin for stealing 7 oz of bread, and Hannah Hopwood for
making too much waste on oakum - bread and water for 12 hours.
Minutes,
22.11 1842: Joseph Lawton for taking another pauper’s porridge, refractory
ward and bread and water for 12 hours.
(From JHY Briggs, Newcastle-u-Lyme)
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WILLIAM
ROWLEY was charged with being a refractory pauper. Mr Brown, the mater of
the Stoke workhouse, stated that the prisoner had twice absconded with his
pauper costume; had been placed in the workshop under the overlooker of
the tailors, but had been found too incompetent or too lazy to qualify as
a member of that craft; had then been placed with the able-bodied
labourers, with a similar result; had assaulted the master by running
violently against him; and, as a climax to his numerous escapades, had led
a chorus of some 50 paupers, who had disturbed the peace of the house by
singing a number of indecent songs. The chorus was silent at the command
of Mr Brown; but the incorrigible Rowley continued his unmelodious roar,
grinning. to use the novel simile of Mr Brown, ‘like an otter with one
foot in a trap.’ He was committed for twenty-one days for the assault,
and ordered to pay a fine of £4 and costs for absconding with clothing;
in default two months’ imprisonment, the two terms to run consecutively.
Staffordshire
Advertiser Newspaper 24.1857
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An
Abandoned Pauper
On
Monday between T.B. Rose and
J. Ridgway, Esqrs., at the Hanley Police Court,
Mary Shaw, a young woman, with malicious resolute expression of
countenance, was charged with gross insubordination whilst a pauper in the
Wolstanton workhouse.
Mr.
Wellum, governor of the workhouse, said that the prisoner was a
prostitute; she was admitted into
the probationer's ward of the house on the 22nd February, and
immediately began to misconduct herself. She was required to do a certain
of oakum picking, but instead of performing the task, she destroyed the
oakum and refused to give any explanation about it. At night she disturbed
the other inmates by singing ribald songs in concert with another girl,
eighteen years of age, whom she had some time previously induced to leave
the house with her, and who had returned, suffering under a loathsome
disease.
Shaw
also refused to undergo the usual medical examination. She had been in the
house several times previously, and her behaviour was always of the worst
description. On one occasion she smuggled into here room lucifer matches
and tobacco, concealing the latter under her bedclothes. She never
neglected any opportunity of annoying those who sought to exercise proper
authority over her - Mr. Lowndes said that the guardians, and the
workhouse committee especially, had taken great pains with a view to
reclaiming the prisoner and the girl whom she had led into an infamous
course of life, but all the no purpose; the girls were utterly
incorrigible.
The
bench, after seriously admonishing the prisoner, ordered her to be
imprisoned, with hard labour, for one month.
Staffordshire
Advertiser Newspaper 1st
March 1856.
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[oakum:
loose hemp or jute fibre obtained by unravelling old ropes]
Some,
or many were very reluctant to enter the workhouse at all:
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Death
from Destitution -
On
Saturday, W. Harding, Esq., coroner, held and inquest at Dalehall, on the
body of Joseph Cooper, a child two years of age. It appeared that the
father was a bricklayer's labourer, and had had very little work for
several months; but that for some reason or other both he and his wife
objected to apply to the parochial authorities for relief, and were also
ignorant as to applying for medical assistance from the parish.
The
deceased child was very ill on Thursday, and the mother hearing that Dr.
Moseley had on former occasions given his advice gratuitously to poor
people, she went to im, and
that gentleman promptly attended. The doctor, however, found that he had
been called in too late, as the child was in a dying state. Dr. Moseley,
who was examined as a witness, having stated that the child's death had
originated from a want of proper and sufficient sustenance, the jury
returned a verdict in accordance with that fact. Several of the jury, it
appeared, were well acquainted with the father of the deceased child, and
spoke of him as a sober and well-behaved man, and the coroner and jury
kindly contributed nearly 20s to the relief of the family.
Staffordshire
Advertiser Newspaper 18th
March 1856
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On
Saturday last an inquest was held before W. Harding, Esq., at the Roe Buck
inn, Fenton, touching the death of Martha Cartledge. The deceased was a
single woman, 29 years of age, and usually resided with her mother at
Fenton. About a fortnight prior ot here death she was admitted to jospital
at the Stoke workhouse, at the time suffering from diarrhoea, and stated
that nothing further was the matter woth her. Only a few hours after
entering the hospital she was prematurely delivered of a still-born child.
On
the 31st her mother came to see her, and was very anxious for
her to be taken hoe. This the nurse strongly objected to, on the ground
that her patient was in a dangerous position. The mother would not be
advised, however, and at four o'clock in the afternoon had her daughter
conveyed away on a spring cart. About eight o'clock the same evening
deceased was taken much worse, and early the next morning she died. Mr.
Johnson, M.D., who was called to see her when she was in a dying state,
stated that Martha Cartledge died from debility, occasioned by bowl
complaint and her recent confinement. her removal from the workhouse,
under the circumstances, was considered a very improper course by Mr.
Johnson. The jury returned a verdict of "died from natural
causes," also expressing their opinion that the governor of the
workhouse should have prevented the removal of the deceased. - Mr. brown
explained that he had no authority in the matter, inasmuch as any pauper
could claim to leave the house after three hours notice. - The jury deemed
that some new regulation was absolutely necessary to meet cases like the
present, and requested the Coroner to communicate with Mr. Griffin, and
request him to lay the matter before the guardians, with a view to their
(the jury's) opinion of the case being conveyed to the Poor Law Board.
Staffordshire
Advertiser Newspaper 9th February 1856
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AS TO PARISH APPRENTICES:
A
case, which excited considerable interest in the court, was that of the
parish officers of Stoke-upon-Trent against Mr Jeremiah Beardmore, a
respectable farmer, residing at Bucknall. The circumstances are briefly
these. In 1 844 a number of children from the workhouse were apprenticed,
under the then existing compulsory law, to different persons in the
parish. Mr Beardmore was required to take one of them, and he went himself
to the workhouse, some time before the 1 6th of February in that year, and
chose Mary Anne Ray, as a girl likely to make a good domestic servant. The
following August it was discovered that she was unfortunately afflicted
with a contagious cutaneous eruption, which communicated to the children
of the family, and, as may be supposed, proved a circumstance of no small annoyance
and expense to Mr & Mrs Beardmore, by whom she had been treated with
unvarying kindness. She was sent back to the workhouse, and after
undergoing medical treatment and performing quarantine, returned to Mr
Beardmore, who, however, refused to receive her, and she had been an
inmate of the workhouse ever since. On the 12th January last an
application was made to Mr Beardmore officially by Mr Joseph Clementson,
one of the overseers, to take back the girl, but he refused either to do
that, or to execute the indenture of apprenticeship, which it seemed had
not received his signature... apprenticeship] The Bench, after considering
some short time, said that they considered Mr Beardmore was liable to take
the apprentice back, but under all the circumstances they should only
impose a fine of 1s and 12s costs. Mr Williams
announced his intention to appeal to the sessions.
Staffordshire
Advertiser Newspaper
21.2.1846 |
Christmas
Day in the Workhouse:
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NEWCASTLE
UNION WORKHOUSE: The inmates of this establishment, 1 50 in
number, were enabled to enjoy, on Christmas Day, the comforts usually
found in the dwellings of those in much more favoured circumstances. Roast
Beef and plum pudding were provid
ed in abundance, and a moderate supply of malt liquor was given to all
such as wished it. Other little comforts were furnished during the day,
and all was done by the officials to make it a season of rational
and cheerful enjoyment. (emphasis added)
STOKE-UPON-TRENT
WORKHOUSE: The inmates in this workhouse, about 400 in number,
were regaled on Christmas Day, according to a benevolent custom, which has
been acted upon for some years at this joyous season, with a bountiful
supply of roast beef, plum pudding etc.
Staffordshire
Advertiser Newspaper
1.1.1848 |
SOURCES
The
national picture:
D.Fraser:
The Evolution of the British Welfare State
M.E.Rose: The Relief of Poverty, 1834-1914
North
Staffordshire:
D.Baker:
Workhouses in the Potteries
A.Dobraszczyc: A Walk Around Chell Workhouse
JHY Briggs: NewcastIe-u-Lyme, 1173-1973
R Speake: Audley
M Dupree: Family Structure in the Staffordshire Potteries
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