Genealogy Chat

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Hi I have had 4 cases in my ancestry where there has been one end up in the workhouse at sometime or another. Two because of illness, one I think had left his wife and kids, and one was an elderly widow. It is horrible to think they ended up in these dreadful places that were funded by local taxes, and the conditions were purposely appaling. At least they could come and go when they likes but some were institutionalised. I wonder how many other people on here have had ancestors who ended up in the workhouse? Ben

In the latter part of the 19th century some were doubling up in function as infirmaries. I have one who died there, of cancer.

I have one born in The Union Workhouse, Stockton on Tees...at the moment I don't know why as she had a husband and a rown up son........still on the case...........

I have! I knew that if I kept this up for long enough I would get there and a few weeks ago I ordered two death certificates both died in the workhouse. One was for a 2 year old who died of tubercular meningitis and the other of an 83 year old who died of senile decay brought on by a fractured femur. Now all I have to find is my first ag lab!

I believe I may have. It appears my grandfather was born there although my mother knew nothing about this. I ordered his birth certificate and the father is unknown the birth is registered by a man named David Jno Jones. He was born at Llys Edynnfed at Penrhyndeudraeth which someone has told me was the workhouse. It is now a hospital. I think many workhouses became hospitals.

Yes, so far only one though. He never married, had no children and spent his younger days living with his various siblings. He spent roughly the last ten years of his life in the workhouse and died there.

Up to now I have two. One died at 24 leaving a husbaand and three children. She died of T.B. I think that was very sad, as she was Spanish, and i doubt she had seen her family since she came here at 19 with my ggrandad. The second one was my gggrandad and as yet dont know what of, or the circumstances. Ann

The only one I know of at the moment is my great grandfather who went in at 5 after being orphaned. He left around 14. Must have been awful. Poor little boy!!

My gg/grandad and his sister ended up in the workhouse after their father died of Typoid in 1877 their mother stayed at home with 3 of her children ( never have understood that) gg/grandad went on to the 'Exmouth' training ship at GraysThurrock when he reached the age of 13 i have not been able to find out when he was released. And we think we have tough!!!!! Ann

Please miss, me miss. I had 3 brothers in the workhouse and one of them went on to be Mayor of Gillingham.

Oh please Jim, let it be me! My GGrandad died in the 'workhouse' in 1910 but I was born in the same place in 1944! Cherry

Christine, The Workhouses were also used as maternity hospitals, so lots of people had their children there, even if they had their own home. My grandad was born in a workhouse, but his parents lived just round the corner from it. Kath. x

I have two Great Great Grandfathers, one of who died in Hartlepool Workhouse and the other in Middlesbrough Workhouse (about 10 years apart). Strange thing is that they were from completely different parts of the family. One was born in North Yorkshire but the other was Welsh and born near Builth Well. MB

See, told you so, Kath's just confirmed it! Even though the places began as workhouses I think in later years they progressed to being hospitals. So when I say that GGrandad died in the workhouse, maybe by that time it had become a hospital. It was in fact the only one in the surrounding district, hospital that is! Cherry

That's right Cherry, although at the time my grandad was born (1870) the place was definitely still a workhouse, and I've read a report that was published in the 'Lancet' medical journal about the place just a couple of years before my grandfather was born, describing the dreadful conditions there and saying that it should be condemned. I found this on the workhouse site www.workhouses.org Kath. x

So far I've found two - Fanny Williams, a 'love-child' who was born in Cirencester Union Workhouse in 1881. Her mother Emma was unmarried, but Emma's mother was dead, which is why she might have gone to give birth in the workhouse. Emma and Fanny, aged 2 months, are on 1881 census with Emma's widowed father and siblings. At first I thought the lovechild belonged to the father, but she is with Emma and Emma's husband in 1891. At the same workhouse in 1884, Emma's maternal grandfather, John Mealing died, 20 days after trying to commit suicide by cutting his throat. John's eldest son, William had been sent to Broadmoor in 1863 after cutting his fiancee's throat. Not sure if they used the same razor!

Hi all My Grandad, John Charles Somerville was born in the STRAND UNION Workhouse, Bear Yard, Strand in 1898. I don't know if this was a 'lying in' hospital by then, but his parent's address was shown as 'formerly of....' etc so don't know if they were inmates or not. Does anyone know if there is anywhere on the net I could find out? I've looked on the 'Workhouses' site! Cheers Allie

I've absolutely no doubt that these places were dreadful institutions Kath and after I found out that GGrandad and indeed GGrandma too died there I had a good 'look see' to find out all about workhouses. Would it be that depending on the benefactors some places could be a darn sight better than others? Maybe it was Victorian hypocracy but the Steyning Union Workhouse was (almost still is) a beautiful building. I can't really believe that the inmates suffered terrible deprevation under the governors in that particular workhouse. My Grandma (born in 1887) said it was a 'refuge' for peeps who needed a bit of help which the local squire (whose family money had paid for it) was quite happy to offer them. When I found out that both GGrandparents had died there I didn't feel distressed, just annoyed at the description of it being solely a workhouse. The squire was trying to help the community in those days, bless his cottons! Cherry

I'm sure some were better than others Cherry, certainly by the turn of the century, but it was still a place most people hoped to avoid at all costs - hence the local name of the archway into Birmingham Workhouse - 'archway of tears'. Kath. x