Embedded Files
Members of the Workhouse Network have written books and produced academic publications about the workhouse buildings the, staff and inmates they have been researching.
Whilst the 1834 Poor Law Act ensured that all workhouses where governed by the same rules and regulations, the application of those rules and regulations were influenced by those that worked and subsequently those that lived under them. Discover the historical documents that has been uncovered and interpreted by researchers and the impact of the workhouse and the workhouse system on their lives.
Masters and Matrons of Llanfyllin Union Workhouse
Ground-breaking research about workhouse masters: the first time a study like this has been carried out
Unexpected stories, including those of
Richard Edwards, who fled to Liverpool leaving massive debts
David Rowlands, whose son fathered children with two inmates
Tom Astley, who had a pet monkey, and a dubious sense of humour
Discover the story of a Welsh workhouse over 140 years
Published in August 2021 by Llanfyllin Dolydd Building Preservation Trust
Order a copy at £9.50 via email: history@llanfyllinworkhouse.org
Published in 2021 by Lackeen Press
Order a copy at £15.00 (includes postage) via email: findingogle@gmail.com
Finding Ogle: The Mystery of the Disappearing Workhouse Master
Workhouse researcher, local historian David Broderick began work to uncover the mystery behind the fate of Henry Ogle.
Ogle was the first master of Portumna Poor Law Union in 1864 who absconded from the workhouse leaving it in a precarious financial position.
The tale begins in famine-ravaged Ireland, explores the cruelty of the workhouse, crossing the Atlantic during the period of the American Civil War and will appeal to historians, lovers of a mystery. This true story brings to life many amazing characters who were previously lost in time, with a rich array of images illustrated by Jenny Wood-Sullivan.
Harriet Kettle: Pauper, Prisoner, Patient and Parent in Victorian Norfolk
With the death of her mother and with her father transported to Australia, she grew up in the workhouse. Becoming a sex worker in Norwich, she got into trouble and was imprisoned several time. Diagnosed with 'moral insanity' she spent periods in asylums before marrying and having four children. Disputes led her to assaulting the school mistress, taking a neighbour to court.
As well as providing a detailed narrative of Harriet's life, this book explores in depth the contexts in which it was lived.
Andy Reid taught history at a Norfolk secondary school before taking up an advisory role as Liaison Officer for Gressenhall Farm and Workhouse Museum, where he discovered Harriet and started to research her life. He relocated to Staffordshire working for the Local Authority and subsequently as an H M Inspector of Schools. He is now working as an education consultant and was a researcher for the Workhouse Network's More than Oliver Twist project.
Published in 2021 by Poppyland Publishing
Order a copy at £10.95 from
Bittern Books
Published in 2015 by The Faversham Society
Order a printed copy for £9.75 including postage or £5 for a downloadable PDF from The Faversham Society website.
Paupers in the Family
A century of experiences in Selling, Faversham and Blean workhouses
The development of three East Kent workhouses is described through the experiences of twelve of Wendy Tait Mayfield’s direct ancestors.
Starting at the Selling Gilbert Union in the 1790s and moving through the development of the Faversham and Blean Unions to the eve of the Welfare State in the 1940s, the stories explore both the day to day lives of the inmates and the various reasons for their admission. They demonstrate how the categorisation of paupers impacted their treatment and how the initially harsh regime gradually softened over time to provide more care and less punishment.
Fully referenced and indexed, this paper provides a useful starting point for anyone wishing to research local or family history in this area.
Number 126 in the series of Faversham Papers.
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