Life In The Victorian And Edwardian Workhouse

Author : Michelle Higgs
Publisher : The History Press
Page : 262 pages
File Size : 47,8 Mb
Release : 2007-03-01
Category : History
ISBN : 9780750966313

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Life in the Victorian and Edwardian Workhouse by Michelle Higgs Pdf

Life in a workhouse during the Victorian and Edwardian eras has been popularly characterised as a brutal existence. Charles Dickens famously portrayed workhouse inmates as being dirty, neglected, overworked adn at the mercy of exploitative masters. While there were undoubtedly establishments that conformed to this stereotype, there is also evidence of a more enlightened approach that has not yet come to public attention. This book establishes a true picture of what life was like in a workhouse, of why inmates entered them and of what they had to endure in their day-to-day routine. A comprehensive overview of the workshouse system gives a real and compelling insight into social and moral reasons behind their growth in the Victorian era, while the kind of distinctions that were drawn between inmates are looked into, which, along with the social stigma of having been a workhouse inmate, tell us much about class attitudes of the time. The book also looks at living conditions and duties of the staff who, in many ways, were prisoners of the workhouse. Michelle Higgs combines thorough research with a fresh outlook on a crucial period in British history, and in doing so paints a vivid portrait of an era and its social standards that continues to fascinate, and tells us much about the society we live in today.

Author : Alan Gallop
Publisher : The History Press
Page : 160 pages
File Size : 43,5 Mb
Release : 2012-05-30
Category : History
ISBN : 9780752486970

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Life in a Victorian Workhouse by Alan Gallop Pdf

What was it like in a Victorian Workhouse? Was the food really as bad as we imagine? Take a step back in time with Alan Gallop and ask yourself if you could have survived in such harsh conditions.

Author : Siân Evans
Publisher : National Trust
Page : 498 pages
File Size : 55,7 Mb
Release : 2013-04-15
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9781907892585

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Life Below Stairs - in the Victorian and Edwardian Country House by Siân Evans Pdf

From the cook, butler and housekeeper to the footman, lady's maid and nanny, this is a fascinating glimpse behind the scenes of some of Britain's grandest houses. An entertaining social history, steering the reader through the minefield of etiquette and hierarchy that kept Britain's great houses running like clockwork. A bygone era is brought vividly to live through letters, journals, interviews, lively descriptions and stunning photography of the places and possessions left behind. The largely untold stories of innumerable, rather humble, lives spent ‘in service’ are lying just below the surface of many great houses; the physical evidence can be seen in surviving servants’ quarters, the material of their everyday life, even their uniforms and possessions. This account provides a fascinating glimpse at who's who behind the scenes, from the cook, butler and housekeeper to the footmen, lady's maids, governesses and tutors, nannies and nursemaids. Giving a fascinating insight into the heirarchy within the servant's quarters – from the power-wielding cook to the ever-discreet butler – this guide describes how relationships were forged and changed as the gap between upstairs and downstairs was bridged. Describing their typical working day as well as the holidays, entertainments and pastimes enjoyed on a rare day off, not to mention the whirl of the social season, this previously ‘unwritten history’ recalls vividly the nature of their lives below stairs.

Author : Margaret Drinkall
Publisher : The History Press
Page : 187 pages
File Size : 42,7 Mb
Release : 2009-08-03
Category : History
ISBN : 9780750952682

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Rotherham Workhouse by Margaret Drinkall Pdf

This fascinating volume explores all aspects of life in that dread institution, the workhouse. From the staff who lived and worked here to the lunatics who were kept - sometimes unsuccessfully - in the medical wing, the babies and mothers whose lives began - and sometimes ended - in the maternity ward, and the tramps, families and destitute persons who passed through the doors every day, it reveals a side of Rotherham that has long since been forgotten. This book also contains something that will delight all family historians - an extensive list of workhouse inmates in Rotherham. With more than fifty illustrations, this book will amaze locals, residents and historians alike.

Author : Peter Higginbotham
Publisher : The History Press
Page : 271 pages
File Size : 42,9 Mb
Release : 2013-02-01
Category : Reference
ISBN : 9780752492308

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A Grim Almanac of the Workhouse by Peter Higginbotham Pdf

For two centuries, the shadow of the workhouse hung over Britain. The recourse of only the most desperate, dark, and terrible tales of malnutrition, misery, mistreatment, and murder ran like wildfire through the poorer classes, who lived in terror of being forced inside the institution's towering walls—and, as this collection proves, all of them were true! This book contains 365 incredible tales of fires, drownings, explosions, and disasters, infamous scandals such as the Andover affair—where inmates were forced to eat the bones they were supposed to be crushing to ward off starvation—and sickening tales of abuse, assault, bodysnatching, poisonings, post mortems, and murder. Accompanied by 70 rare and wonderful illustrations, this book will thrill, fascinate, sadden, and unnerve in equal measure.

Author : Simon Fowler
Publisher : Pen and Sword
Page : 232 pages
File Size : 49,7 Mb
Release : 2014-09-11
Category : History
ISBN : 9781783831517

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The Workhouse by Simon Fowler Pdf

The stories of those who lived in the shadow of the workhouse'??During the nineteenth century the workhouse cast a shadow over the lives of the poor. The destitute and the desperate sought refuge within its forbidding walls. And it was an ever-present threat if poor families failed to look after themselves properly. As a result a grim mythology has grown up about the horrors of the 'house' and the mistreatment meted out to the innocent pauper. ??In this fully-updated and revised edition of his bestselling book, Simon Fowler takes a fresh look at the workhouse and the people who sought help from it. He looks at how the system of the Poor Law _ of which the workhouse was a key part _ was organised and the men and women who ran the workhouses or were employed to care for the inmates.??But above all this is the moving story of the tens of thousands of children, men, women and the elderly who were forced to endure grim conditions to survive in an unfeeling world.??'A poignant account ... draws powerfully on letters from The National Archives ... [Simon Fowler] brings out the horror, but it is fair-minded to those struggling to be humane within an inhumane system,' The Independent??'A good introduction,' The Guardian.??The history of workhouses and poverty ('misery history') has recently been prominently covered on TV shows like WDYTYA? and ITV's Secrets from the Workhouse, and referenced in historical dramas like The Village and Ripper Street.

Author : Michelle Higgs
Publisher : Pen and Sword
Page : 151 pages
File Size : 43,5 Mb
Release : 2014-02-12
Category : History
ISBN : 9781473834460

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A Visitor's Guide to Victorian England by Michelle Higgs Pdf

An “utterly brilliant” and deeply researched guide to the sights, smells, endless wonders, and profound changes of nineteenth century British history (Books Monthly, UK). Step into the past and experience the world of Victorian England, from clothing to cuisine, toilet arrangements to transport—and everything in between. A Visitor’s Guide to Victorian England is “a brilliant guided tour of Charles Dickens’s and other eminent Victorian Englishmen’s England, with insights into where and where not to go, what type of people you’re likely to meet, and what sights and sounds to watch out for . . . Utterly brilliant!” (Books Monthly, UK). Like going back in time, Higgs’s book shows armchair travelers how to find the best seat on an omnibus, fasten a corset, deal with unwanted insects and vermin, get in and out of a vehicle while wearing a crinoline, and avoid catching an infectious disease. Drawing on a wide range of sources, this book blends accurate historical details with compelling stories to bring alive the fascinating details of Victorian daily life. It is a must-read for seasoned social history fans, costume drama lovers, history students, and anyone with an interest in the nineteenth century.

Author : Jonathan Reinarz,Leonard Schwarz
Publisher : Boydell & Brewer
Page : 290 pages
File Size : 54,6 Mb
Release : 2013
Category : History
ISBN : 9781580464482

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Medicine and the Workhouse by Jonathan Reinarz,Leonard Schwarz Pdf

This text examines the history of the medical services provided by workhouses, both in Britain and its former colonies, during the 18th and 19th centuries.

Author : Michelle Higgs
Publisher : The History Press
Page : 366 pages
File Size : 49,8 Mb
Release : 2017-05-08
Category : Medical
ISBN : 9780750984768

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Life in the Victorian Hospital by Michelle Higgs Pdf

Throughout the Victorian period, life-threatening diseases were no respecter of class, affecting rich and poor alike. However, the medical treatment for such diseases differed significantly, depending on the class of patient. The wealthy received private medical treatment at home or, later, in a practitioner's consulting room. The middle classes might also pay for their treatment but, in addition, they could attend one of an increasing number of specialist hospitals. The working classes could get free treatment from charitable voluntary hospitals or dispensaries. For the abject poor who were receiving poor relief, their only option was to seek treatment at the workhouse infirmary. The experience of a patient going into hospital at this time was vastly different from that at the end. This was not just in terms of being attended by trained nurses or in the medical and surgical advances which had taken place. Different methods for treating diseases and the use of antiseptic and aseptic techniques to combat killer hospital infections led to a much higher standard of care than was previously available.

Author : Derek Fraser
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
Page : 376 pages
File Size : 52,8 Mb
Release : 2017-09-15
Category : History
ISBN : 9781350307056

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The Evolution of the British Welfare State by Derek Fraser Pdf

An established introductory textbook that provides students with a full overview of British social policy and social ideas since the late 18th century. Derek Fraser's authoritative account is the essential starting point for anyone learning about how and why Britain created the first Welfare State, and its development into the 21st century. This is an ideal core text for dedicated modules on the history of British social policy or the British welfare state - or a supplementary text for broader modules on modern British history or British political history - which may be offered at all levels of an undergraduate history, politics or sociology degree. In addition it is a crucial resource for students who may be studying the history of the British welfare state for the first time as part of a taught postgraduate degree in British history, politics or social policy. New to this Edition: - Revised and updated throughout in light of the latest research and historiographical debates - Brings the story right up to the present day, now including discussion of the Coalition and Theresa May's early Prime Ministership - Features a new overview conclusion, identifying key issues in modern British social history

Author : Simon Fowler
Publisher : Pen and Sword
Page : 296 pages
File Size : 48,7 Mb
Release : 2014-09-11
Category : History
ISBN : 9781473840843

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The Workhouse by Simon Fowler Pdf

“A poignant account” of the reality behind these famous Victorian institutions where the poor resided (The Independent). During the nineteenth century, the workhouse cast a shadow over the lives of the English poor. The destitute and the desperate sought refuge within its forbidding walls. And it was an ever-present threat if poor families failed to look after themselves properly. In this fully updated and revised edition of his bestselling book, Simon Fowler takes a fresh look at the institution that most of us are familiar with only from Dickens novels or films, and the people who sought help from it. He looks at how the system of the Poor Law of which the workhouse was a key part was organized, and the men and women who ran the workhouses or were employed to care for the inmates. But above all this is the moving story of the tens of thousands of children, men, women and the elderly who were forced to endure grim conditions to survive in an unfeeling world. “Draws powerfully on letters from The National Archives ... brings out the horror, but it is fair-minded to those struggling to be humane within an inhumane system.”—The Independent “A good introduction.”—The Guardian

Author : Peter Higginbotham
Publisher : The History Press
Page : 276 pages
File Size : 51,7 Mb
Release : 2012-10-01
Category : History
ISBN : 9780752477176

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Voices from the Workhouse by Peter Higginbotham Pdf

Voices from the Workhouse tells the real inside story of the workhouse - in the words of those who experienced the institution at first hand, either as inmates or through some other connection with the institution. Using a wide variety of sources — letters, poems, graffiti, autobiography, official reports, testimony at official inquiries, and oral history, Peter Higginbotham creates a vivid portrait of what really went on behind the doors of the workhouse — all the sights, sounds and smells of the place, and the effect it had on those whose lives it touched. Was the workhouse the cruel and inhospitable place as which it’s often presented, or was there more to it than that? This book lets those who knew the place provide the answer.

Author : Michelle Higgs
Publisher : Pen and Sword
Page : 209 pages
File Size : 47,6 Mb
Release : 2020-01-19
Category : Reference
ISBN : 9781526744869

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Tracing Your Ancestors in Lunatic Asylums by Michelle Higgs Pdf

A concise handbook for genealogical research into patients of British mental institutions from the 18th to the early 20th centuries. An expert in British Victorian history, Michelle Higgs helps readers uncover information about relatives whose lives are too often forgotten. Higgs concentrates on the period from the eighteenth century to 1948 when the National Health Service was founded. Using original records, contemporary accounts, photographs, illustrations and case studies of real individuals, Higgs brings the story of the asylums and their patients to life. Different types of institution are covered, including private madhouses, county lunatic asylums, facilities for idiots and imbeciles, and military mental hospitals. Chapters look at the admission procedures and daily routine of patients, plus different kinds of mental illness and how they were treated. Separate sections discuss the systems in Scotland, Ireland, England and Wales. Information is provided on all the relevant sources, from wills and the census to casebooks and admission and discharge registers.

Author : Gonzalo Araoz,Fátima Alves,Katrina Jaworski
Publisher : BRILL
Page : 218 pages
File Size : 40,9 Mb
Release : 2019-05-15
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9789004373952

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Rethinking Madness: Interdisciplinary and Multicultural Reflections by Gonzalo Araoz,Fátima Alves,Katrina Jaworski Pdf

Author : Peter Higginbotham
Publisher : The History Press
Page : 663 pages
File Size : 43,6 Mb
Release : 2012-03-01
Category : History
ISBN : 9780752477190

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Workhouse Encyclopedia by Peter Higginbotham Pdf

This fascinating, fully illustrated volume is the definitive guide to every aspect of workhouse life. Compiled by Peter Higginbotham, one of Britain's foremost experts on the subject, it covers everything from the 1725 publication An Account of Several Workhouses to the South African Zulu admitted to Fulham Road Workhouse in 1880. With hundreds of fascinating anecdotes, plus priceless information for researchers including workhouse addresses, useful websites and archive repository details, maps, plans, original workhouse publications and an extensive bibliography, it will delight family historians and general readers alike.