Product Description

Whether it was 'the batille', 'the spike', 'the work'us' or simply 'the house', the Victorian workhouse was the cause of dread and shame for thousands of men, women and children. The workhouse was the last resort, and the authorities intended that it should be seen as such. This book looks at the principles that lay beind the New Poor Law of 1834, at the design and construction of workhouses, and at the lives of those who entered them, either as officers or as paupers.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #78341 in Books
• Published on: 1997-09-18
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 32 pages

About the Author
Trevor May is a freelance writer and lecturer, specialising in economic and social history. He is the author of more than a dozen books, including 'The Victorian Schoolroom', 'The Victorian Undertaker', 'The Victorian Domestic Servant', 'The Victorian Railway Worker' and 'Military Barracks' on the Shire list.

Customer Reviews

Great introduction to the subject
Although this book is very brief and almost a pamphlet, it is well written and illustrated and is an excellent introduction to the subject.
There are some excellent illustrations and archive newspaper adverts and articles from the time which are printed here with excellent clarity.
The text itself is very informative and provides a great overview on the history of the workhouse.
There are more extensive books on the subject, but this short, diverting read is an informative, well presented and enjoyable one.

Life as a pauper is brilliantly depicted in this book.
Review - The Victorian Workhouse by Trevor May published by Shirebooks.

Whilst researching my family tree I came across a reference to the Poor laws and the Unions - The Workhouses of Victorian England.

Realising my knowledge was to say the least a bit thin in this area I consulted the Amazon research facility. Not heard of it? Well by using the Amazon search facility you can have a very wide range of material presented to you.

One of the items on my list was the above book and what a revelation it has been. The book gives you grounding in the Poor Laws and in the foundation of the Unions or Workhouses. It follows this with a superb account of the design and construction of the Workhouses and their philosophy.

You were free to enter and leave the establishments but the cost of entry in terms of degradation was very high. Original text, quotations and pictures bring out the horrors to life in this environment. The daily routines and what happened to vagrants (tramps) is an eye opener.

The booklet ends with a transition to more modern times with a superb bibliography and a list of places to visit.

I can thoroughly recommend this excellent book as a start point to a look at how the poor were treated in Victorian and Edwardian England. I can now delve further into my family tree and illustrate some facets of at least one of my relative's life and sadly death

joseph.moss@lineone.net