The Workhouse: The People, the Places, the Life Behind Doors

by Simon Fowler

'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.

• ISBN10: 1473840848
• ISBN13: 9781473840843
• Publish Date: 11 September 2014 (first published 31 January 2007)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publisher: Pen & Sword Books Ltd
• Imprint: Pen & Sword History
• Format: eBook
• Pages: 224
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

The Workhouse is a well researched and annotated retrospective look at the history and background of workhouses and the harsh realities faced by poor people before the more progressive ideas of a social safety net with benefits was a reality. Originally published in Great Britain in 2007, this reformat and re-release out 31st March 2021 from Pen & Sword is 224 pages and will be available in paperback format (other editions available in other formats).

I love the Victorian era in theory. I love the literature, the music, the dress, the civilized aspects. In short, I love the curated sanitised version provided in the modern BBC costume dramas and would have in actual fact decried the squalid and desperately short lives of the actual reality of the time (and probably been locked up and/or beaten to death for my troubles). This interesting and fairly comprehensive guide gives a glimpse into the grim realities of the day-to-day lives of people who lived then, from the historical recollections and contemporaneous period writings.

Written by Dr. Simon Fowler, it's a meticulously researched, layman accessible academic treatise on the realities surrounding the establishment and administration of poor/work houses as one practical arm of the Poor Law. The book is laid out in a logical manner, with historical realities and day-to-day life of the inhabitants of workhouses followed by individual topic chapters including the working poor, different class divisions of the poor, destitute children, the sick and infirm, and modern workhouse museums and exhibitions. A cross-referenced index makes specific information easy to find quickly. The appendices are packed with good information on how to winnow information from historical sources for family genealogy research, as well as modern day workhouse museums/exhibits to visit. The bibliography is substantial and will provide many hours of further reading.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.