The London Workhouse: A ‘Total Institution’ for the C18th?

1. The London Workhouse: A ‘Total Institution’ for the C18th? Peter Jones http://research.ncl.ac.uk/pauperlives/

2. Defining the ‘Total Institution’ • P. O’Brien, The Promise of Punishment: Prisons in C19th France (1982) • Sean McConville, A History of English Prison Administration (1981) • Andrew Scull, Museums of Madness: the Social History of Insanity in C19th England (1981) • M. A. Crowther, The Workhouse System 1834-1929 (1981), ‘…any attempt to reconstruct workhouse life must be a patchwork, selected from the letters and reminiscences of the literate poor, or gleaned from middle class accounts’ – Crowther, p.193 ‘[The image of the workhouse] has been created by outsiders, who usually condemned it either for harshness or laxity’ – ibid.

3. The C18th London Workhouse • c1800: 50 workhouses in the London metropolitan area • Diverse institutions: between 10 and 1,000 inmates • Diversity of experience: between 89% and 19% of parish poor relieved indoors • In total, almost 12,000 of London’s inhabitants resident in workhouses in 1801

4. The Project Jeremy Boulton, Leonard Schwarz, John Black http://research.ncl.ac.uk/pauperlives/ The Workhouse in 1871

5. Admission and Residency

6. Pregnancy and Birth • 1725-1824 • 1,376 women heavily pregnant or in labour at admission • Over 4,000 children born and baptised

7. Early Childhood • 11,155 children <7 admitted • 73% admitted with family member • 2,230 died in the workhouse • 20% within 14 days • 91% within a year • 1,188 were sent to nurse • 206 bound apprentice

8. Adolescence • 7,515 children aged 7-14 admitted • 3,376 (44.5%) entered with another family member • 270 (3.5%) died in the workhouse • 2,316 (30.5%) either bound apprentice or sent ‘on likeing’ • 80% apprenticed in London • 20% further afield • 50 sent to Hungerford School • 8 boys sent to sea

9. Early Adulthood • Women admitted to the workhouse aged 20-40 • Constitute 80% of all admissions in this age range • 70.5% of all women admitted aged 20-40 years are ‘single independents’ • Average length of stay = 111 days (216 for all admissions)

10. Old Age • 11,023 Over-60s Admitted • 36.5% died in workhouse • Average length of stay = 431 days

11. Sickness

12. Death

13. To Conclude… • Ann Ashton, admitted November 1765, ‘her husband paying 2s. 6d. for her keep’ • Jane Graham, admitted October 1800, ‘on condition that he husband pays 5s. per week’ • Charlotte Sowley, admitted June 1795, aged 9, ‘her father paying 3s. a week’ ‘…any attempt to reconstruct workhouse life must be a patchwork, selected from the letters and reminiscences of the literate poor, or gleaned from middle-class accounts…’ - Crowther, p.193