The discovery of 4,500 bodies buried on the site of a former Bristol workhouse in Stapleton reveals a haunting glimpse into Victorian poverty and resilience | Mike Jempson
Comments
Log in with your Bluesky account to leave a comment
According to recent UK statistics, the premature mortality rate (deaths under 75 years old) in England is around 349 per 100,000 population, with significant regional variations, with the North East having the highest rate at 418 per 100,000 compared to the South East at 305 per 100,000.
What's fascinating is the evolution of the work house from what were places of unmitigated evil into the foundations of the NHS. By the 30s they had become places of healing and care.
Also interesting to see what was going on in Scotland, where workhouses didn't exist. Instead those who needed poorhouses were taken in, but not forced to work in return.
My granddad shut down the last catholic laundry in Aberdeen as a city councillor. He said that he drove there after signing the paperwork, sat in the car and cried. He hated them.
Two years later he went to prison for manslaughter, he managed to accidentally kill a man while dynamiting fish. How he ever got elected remains a mystery.
He was a bugger, when we moved to Birmingham he got a job at Lucas and became a shop steward. He was untouchable, so much he stole the entire executive bathroom from the factory and plumbed it in next door where a young family from Pakistan had just moved and it still has an outdoor loo.
Indeed. Hammersmith Hospital was a Poorhouse yet became a noted centre of cardiology. Wormwood Scrubs looms over it, though, reminding us that we have a way to go!
The politicians preaching no nhs, no regulations, no workers rights, etc. would have us back in workhouses tomorrow if they could. I'm looking at the tories and the new "reform"ed tories...
In Tudor times, a law was passed requiring the poor to be taken care of by the community, until the Tories rescinded it in 1834 because it was deemed too costly. Enter the Workhouse system.
The current Labour Gvmt need to be forcibly reminded of the radical nature if the '45 Gvmt, and how they helped the majority of people in this country.
Genealogy is my hobby and I enjoy researching family trees for friends. My heart always sinks when I see the workhouse listed. So much pain, deprivation and death.
I hope the 4,500 souls have the dignity of their identity returned to them.
Comments
When l started my training in '81, many old people flatly refused to go to the local 'Geriatric Hosp' for care, as it had been a Workhouse.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_poorhouse
https://youtu.be/gMobWOWh5RI
The tories were taking away all social care/support and hinted at a return to workhouses.
Yes, we've only been without them for 70 or so years - just within range with living memory.
I hope the 4,500 souls have the dignity of their identity returned to them.