The Union Workhouse Walsall foreign

[85jbk]

great suggestion and thanks for that Mick. Do you know if it was ususal for the families of relatives to put their folk into these homes and still be living elsewhere.
Jill

[willow154]

Hi Jill,
Sorry it's taken me a while to get back to you - I've been searching for some sites for another thread.
Anyway, here is an excerpt from a really good book, which is worth a read:
In 1900 about 30%  of the population over the age of 70 were in the workhouse. Indeed the older the individual was, the more likely it was that he or she would be cared for by the Poor Law authorities................Elderly men and women entered the workhouse mainly because they could no longer look after themselves, were not respectable enough to secure election to a charity-run almshouse or had nobody either willing or able to care for them.
He also says that a few old people went in voluntarily and paid towards their stay - some because they didn't want to be a burden on their family(and he quote an example of one man - 'because he could not stand the noise made by his grandchildren and wanted peace and quiet'.)
In case you'd like to buy/borrow a copy of the book it is:
Workhouse by Simon Fowler
ISBN 978-1-905615-03-2

Paulene

[85jbk]

Once again thank you for your excellent replys and suggestions. I will follow this up and see if i can borrow this from our local library.
Jill

[85jbk]

Dear Researchers 
Have located my man in the St.Matthews parish church. Does anyone have or able to obtain a photograph of St.Matthews Church / churchyard and also the Manor Hospital which was the old workhouse in Wasall.
Any way to find out if there is a headstone?
Cheers Jill

[oldtimer]

Hi Jill

There are a couple of modern photos of the workhouse on the site I posted earlier.

Also, if you google St Matthew's Church Walsall, then click on images, there are lots of photos of the church available 

[85jbk]

  Yes gotcha Judy. I was most impressed with the image site of Walsall.
Jill

[oldtimer]

Hi Jill,

If he was in the workhouse because he was a pauper, it is very unlikely that anyone would have paid for him to have a gravestone.

[WOMBATZ]

Hello Im a new user trying to find my way around, do you know if this workhouse was laso known as the cottage homes (for children)?
Thanks
Kerrie

[willow154]

Hi Kerrie,
Nice to meet you - welcome to rootschat
I'm sorry I don't know the answer to that one, but I will try to find out for you. Leave it with me.

Jill,
It varies, some are marked. My own ancestors' wasn't (he is buried in a large cemetery in Sheffield). His name was on the cemetery register (although they had the first and middle names back to front ), so I was able to locate him that way.
However, I recently went to try to find the grave of a fellow rootschatter, and was successful in finding not one, but several family graves. She had said she didn't think there would be a grave, because he had died in the workhouse.
The workhouse was seen as a last resort, but it did act as the only source of hospital and old people's home for some families, who struggles to look after their own. But, I'm sure that some did take over the final care of their relative, if they could.
So, there could be a grave - hope you find one!
Good luck!
Paulene