What was it like inside a workhouse?

What was it like inside a workhouse?

A range of buildings at the rear provided a laundry, infirmary and cow house. Life was very regimented, controlled and monotonous and all inmates wore uniforms. They rarely received visitors and could not leave unless they were formally discharged to find or take up work and provide for themselves.

What was it like in a Victorian workhouse?

Conditions were cramped with beds squashed together, hardly any room to move and with little light. When they were not in their sleeping corners, the inmates were expected to work.

What did children do in a Victorian workhouse?

Children in Workhouses Every day for three hours, children were expected to have lessons in reading, writing, arithmetic and Christian religion. In 1836, it was decided that children were taught to read but not write, as it was not considered important for poor children to be able to write.

What was the food like in a workhouse?

The main constituent of the workhouse diet was bread. At breakfast it was supplemented by gruel or porridge — both made from water and oatmeal (or occasionally a mixture of flour and oatmeal). Workhouse broth was usually the water used for boiling the dinner meat, perhaps with a few onions or turnips added.

What happens if you died in the workhouse?

If such an individual died, their death would be recorded as being in the workhouse infirmary, although their family might well be living outside the workhouse. If an inmate died in the workhouse, the death was notified to their family who could, if they wished, organize a funeral themselves.

How did you get out of a workhouse?

While residing in a workhouse, paupers were not allowed out without permission. Short-term absence could be granted for various reasons, such as a parent attending their child’s baptism, or to visit a sick or dying relative. Able-bodied inmates could also be allowed out to seek work.