Author Topic: Workhouse Record  (Read 825 times)

Offline Autumn9

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Workhouse Record
« on: Wednesday 20 June 18 13:12 BST (UK) »
Good afternoon,

Could anyone help me understand this workhouse record please.

I can see that on 12th Aug, Ellen Donovan was put in the workhouse due to being destitute (having come from Goulston Court, a slum area of London), my question is, which workhouse would this actually have been that she was in? It says Stepney, Tower Hamlets on the record but a Google search leads me to believe there were more than one in the area.

Many thanks.

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/interactive/60391/31363_A106219-00136?pid=11016125&backurl=https://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv%3D1%26dbid%3D60391%26h%3D11016125%26tid%3D150781421%26pid%3D332014475366%26usePUB%3Dtrue%26_phsrc%3DCcF5%26_phstart%3DsuccessSource&treeid=150781421&personid=332014475366&hintid=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=CcF5&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true#?imageId=31363_A106219-00136

Offline Bookbox

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Re: Workhouse Record
« Reply #1 on: Wednesday 20 June 18 13:49 BST (UK) »
It isn't a workhouse actually, but the Whitechapel Infirmary, which was run by the Whitechapel Poor Law Union. So she was probably admitted for health reasons, rather than because she was destitute.

Background info here ...
http://www.workhouses.org.uk/Whitechapel/#Post-1834

(The records are catalogued as 'Stepney' only because Whitechapel later became part of the Stepney Union.)

Offline onyxandopal

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Re: Workhouse Record
« Reply #2 on: Wednesday 20 June 18 13:56 BST (UK) »
It isn't a workhouse actually, but the Whitechapel Infirmary, which was run by the Whitechapel Poor Law Union. So she was probably admitted for health reasons, rather than because she was destitute.

Background info here ...
http://www.workhouses.org.uk/Whitechapel/#Post-1834

(The records are catalogued as 'Stepney' only because Whitechapel later became part of the Stepney Union.)

How would you know this was an infirmary? (This would be useful for future records)

Offline Bookbox

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Re: Workhouse Record
« Reply #3 on: Wednesday 20 June 18 14:04 BST (UK) »
This particular Whitechapel register is an oddity, quite distinctive in layout and easy to recognise. Most standard London workhouse admission/discharge registers have admissions on the left-hand page and discharges on the right-hand page.

But if you're not sure, just check out the source reference, provided Ancestry have included it (not always). In this case it's STBG/WH/123/008, so you can enter it in the LMA catalogue to identify the register.
https://search.lma.gov.uk


Offline Bookbox

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Re: Workhouse Record
« Reply #4 on: Wednesday 20 June 18 14:08 BST (UK) »
Sorry, looking further, I now see the admission was 1867, which was before the Charles Street/Baker's Row building had a change of use. So it may have been serving as a workhouse at that date, but is definitely that institution and not one in Stepney.