SLHS: Workhouse

History

It had long been the place of the church to support the poor and/or needy in society. However the actual amount of accommodation for them actually fell short of need. Almshouses were provided for more long term cases but people had to support themselves as much as they were able.

Places to use available casual labour, farmers, manufacturing and home owners, were around throughout the Middle Ages, indeed the Stratford Mop was just such a system. However after the Napoleonic Wars unemployment was a serious national problem and returning soldiers made it even more acute. Times were very hard and starvation and disease a serious liklihood.

Informally large towns organised their own solutions until 1834 when the problems had been so bad that a New Poor Law was passed. Workhouses were built to use the mass of labour as best they could (right). The State was under a great burden and so any person wanting relief had to enter a workhouse. However sorting building materials, splitting old ships ropes to make oakum (tarred caulkage for ships and troughs) etc was grueling meaningless work.

Obviously in time managers exploited the workers and they became a place of cruelty in order to put those feigning loss off.

Cottage Lane then Arden Street

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A typical workhouse of the day.

Stratford

As stated above Almshouses had been built in Church Street but the first place of casual employment was probably in Cottage Lane (left).

Possibly Stratford’s first workhouse.

Arden Street

Demand on local resources burdened the District and so in 1837 many parishes clubbed together to to form the Stratford-on-Avon Poor Law Union. From money from each town/village council they build a workhouse for 200 ‘inmates’. It had separate areas for male & female, young and old.

Welfare

To deal with the many issues the place had a considerable number of staff.

The Work Load

For some the work was menial. Their shelters were “cells”. They had no heating and no glazing; merely a metal grid window. Large stones were supplied through hatches at the top and broken stones must be fitted through holes in the a grating in the window shelf. The smaller, broken stones were collected by privileged others.

Before demolition these photographs were taken. Far more information may be gained from the website below whose material is gratefully acknowledged.

To return to Master page click on ‘Medical & Welfare’ above.