Catalogue

In 1832 the overseer of the poor prepared a report of several pages referring to the problems of the current workhouse then situated in the village of Penkhull and its over-crowding with no room for enlargement. His brief was to come up with some proposals for a new workhouse and suggested the area of Wetley Rocks, an area of some miles from Stoke and isolated. His conclusions on how the inmates would be treated and noting the vast amount of land which could be purchased for £10 per acre. It was here that he describes that there was sufficient land to make the workhouse self-sufficient. A tremendous document to read and the only one to have survived. A huge contribution to the social and economic period of the time in addition to the terrible treatment of paupers.

For the young inmates in workhouses the guardians in many cases understood the need to train both genders in an occupation that could find them employment once leaving the workhouse at the age of sixteen. Why, because this was considered a means whereby once discharged, they could find work, and as a consequence not to become a permanent burden upon poor law. This section is a comprehensive study which includes many aspects of young people’s expectations. Girls were treated very differently than boys where the focus was upon domestic duties, washing, ironing and household accounts. Miss Rose Wedgwood provided training and accommodation for a number of girls to be trained in high quality servants work with the promise of employment in a gentleman’s residence. The North Staffs Ladies Association sent up a school at Shelton for the training of young girls.

Boys were trained in gardening and farming, shoe making, tailoring, learning to play a brass band instrument and drill ready for a good position in the services. All this was done by outside skilled people who were paid by the hour.

Nine x A4 pages

This original research is a compilation of hope for so many and in return once the young left did not become a burden on the poor law. This is a major piece of valuable study and a certain tool for those studying social and economic studies as well as those who are keen to explore what was done in the workhouse and to learn that all was not bad. A great reflection upon how children inmates were treated at the time, very differently that the adults.

This article relating to how Christmas was celebrated at the Stoke-upon-Trent workhouse compared with that of the Wolstanton and Burslem workhouse which was situated in the north of the city at Chell.

Each Christmas was almost a re-run of the previous year. The height of the day would be roast beef and plumb pudding. Ar the Stoke workhouse, this was served by the govenor and staff, whist at Chell they always celebrated Christmas on the 26th why – because the staff wanted the day off with their families. A gift for the women would be a small packet of tea and sugar while the men had tobacco. The young children had a mixture of treats normally donated by the shop keepers of the nearby town.

The afternoos is where entertainment was brought into the workhouse, which provided a much needed rest from the normal works of the day. As usual the govenor finished the day off with prayers in addition to saying Grace before the meal was served.

Two pages A4