British workhouse

British workhouse

The origins of the workhouse can be traced to the Poor Law Act of 1388 after the Black Death in England, where the law attempted to address the labour shortages. They restricts the movement of labourers, and indirectly responsible for the support of the poor. Inmates were usually in a poor state of health because of the poor food they consumed. As a consequence of the lack of nutrients in their diet, they were vulnerable to sickness and disease. Many died in the workhouse with only very basic medical treatment.

Figure 2: History of the Poor Law.

Soon and later, a series of poor laws against to vagabond over the centuries after the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815. (Figure 2) However, mass unemployment in the early 1830s, the advent of new technologies to replace farm workers in particular. A string of bad harvests caused the existing poor relief scheme proved unsustainable. The New Poor Law of 1834 sought to counteract the economic trend by discouraging the granting of relief to those who refused to enter a workhouse. (Ottaway, 2020)

Life in a workhouse was meant to be tough, to deter the competent poor and to ensure that it would extend only to the truly destitute. For those poor living outside workhouse in England was unable receive such as the provision of free medical services and schooling for children until the early 20th century. This caused a problem to the Poor Law authorities that they have never reconciled with the superiority of criminals due to over population from the workhouse.

Figure 3: Dinnertime at St Pancras Workhouse, London, 1911

Six diets were distributed to workhouse inmates by the Poor Law Commission in 1836, one of them which was to be chosen depending on its local conditions by each Poor Law Union. The food was usually nutritionally sufficient, albeit dreary, and was prepared with great care, according to modern records. Issues like teaching staff to serve and weigh the portions have been well trained included the general instructions and plans for each class of prisoners in the diets. They were laid out from a list of foods on a weekly rotation, the different meals chosen on a regular basis. For example, there was cooked meat, pickled pork or vegetable bacon, potatoes, yeast dumplings, soup and suet, or rice pudding during dinner while gruel and bread for the breakfast. (Figure 3) (Workhouse Food, 2021) (KING, 2011)

Normally, the supper was broth, cheese and bread, and occasionally potatoes or butter. The larger workhouses had separate dining areas for males and females; the meal times would be staggered by workhouses without separate dining rooms to prevent any interaction between the sexes. Instead of the competent poor, workhouses were increasingly sheltering for the aged, infirm and disabled. As the 19th century went on, and legislation was passed in 1929 to allow local authorities, as municipal hospitals, to take over workhouse nursing homes. Although the same legislation formally abolished workhouses in 1930, many continued to be under the control of local authorities under their new name of Public Assistance Institutions. It was not until the National Assistance Act of 1948 that the final vestiges of the Poor Law vanished, along the workhouses. (Workhouse Food, 2021)

Rationing in United Kingdom

Figure 4: Pathé News filmed Women's Land Army Camp Going To Farms By Lorry

The rationing is introduced due to food shortage during World War 1 (WW1). (BBC, 2020) There are a couple of reasons for that. The main reason is the agricultural workers are forced to join the armed services. Hence it’s leading to labour shortage on the farm which affecting agricultural production, especially in the Humber region. (Humber First World War, 2020) Therefore, women play a significant role in rationing as they are replacing men in agricultural labour work. (Figure 4) (British Pathe, 2013)

Under rationing propaganda in Figure 3, Ministry of Food Control (WW1) also funded National Kitchen restaurants to feed the people up to 2,000 people per day. Queen Mary opened the first National Kitchen in Westminster Bridge Road, London. The kitchen is mainly run by volunteers which similar to foodbank nowadays. According to Ian, there were 363 National Kitchens in the UK. (Ian F.W. Beckett, 2006)

Figure 5: Rationing posters propaganda by the Ministry of Food Control and the Ministry of Food

In rationing, most adults had buff-coloured ration books. (Figure 5) For pregnant women, nursing mothers and children under 5, they had a green one, and they had the first choice of fruit, a daily pint of milk and a double supply of eggs. Well, blue ration books are for children between 5 and 16 years of age. It was felt important that children had fruit, the full meat ration and half a pint of milk a day.

Figure 6: National Ration Book show inside pages and some pages are missing during WW1.

Under this scheme, there are three staples of the daily diet - bread, meat, and sugar. According to the Ministry of Food, the weekly allowance was for bread including cakes, puddings, etc. estimated 1.8kg. For meat, it only allowed 1.1kg and 0.34kg for sugar.