What Was Life Really Like In A Victorian Workhouse? | Secrets From The Workhouse | Absolute History

In Victorian England, the Workhouse formed the basis of society. The poor and destitute entered Workhouses to receive free health care and food. But in a society that viewed poverty as a crime, these workhouses were never meant to comfort. It was a means to punish the destitute and encourage future independence. In this two-part documentary, several UK celebrities explore how their ancestors survived the difficult environment of the Workhouse and discover some unexpected family secrets that shock and inspire them in turn.

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[deemccarthy]

My lovely mum was in a work/poor house in Staffordshire from 1941 when she was 12 until 1944 when she was 15. Even today mum cannot talk about it. Both her parents had died and that's why she was sent there. She was from a very poor family so that was bad enough. Now and again she will speak of what happened and then gets so upset she cannot carry on. I feel so sad for my mum and others that were forced to live in those awful places. I count my blessings every single day.

[nikkitronic]

When I was growing up, a common phrase I’d hear from my family was “ you don’t want to end up in the poor house!” I never really grasped exactly what that meant. Now I understand how much of a threat, a scary thing that actually could be.

[Tinthia]

What's sad is that people are still treated like criminals for being poor.

[jadefire]

Now I know why my Grandparents always said, "Turn out that light! Do you want us to end up in the poorhouse!?" It actually sounds worse than being homeless in the open air. We are *SO* incredibly blessed, even spoiled, nowadays. Even those of us with very little money aren't as bad off as the people then.

[Liz-ekhc]

My great aunt, born 1903, was terrified to the day she died about ending up in the workhouse. Not that she was ever in it, and she eventually had a good job as a forewoman in a shirt factory in Derry, Northern Ireland, but what she saw happening to others in her lifetime remained with her forever. God rest her and all souls who lived through those terrible times.

[RD-pysv]

"Poverty regarded as a crime." This sentiment hasn't changed. Same as the idea that it's the fault of said person for being poor. The only real difference is that the poor aren't dissected to repay their so-called debt to society. Mostly.

[SabbathaBastet]

As an American raised on Dickens and Stevenson, I’ve had an interest in Victorian England and Scotland for decades. I only recently learned that my current city, Louisville, Kentucky, also had a workhouse/poorhouse.
I think a lot of Americans don’t realize we had this system too.
What a shame. Being poor is a crime today.

[monav]

I live in America. I came across this video by chance and decided to watch it. I had never even heard of the "Poor House" as being a real place. My siblings and I grew up really poor, but we never were so poor that we went hungry for very long and we always had a roof over our heads. We had to wear clothing that the church would give us and shoes as well. My mom worked at many jobs, ironing, cooking, laundry, etc. My father left us when my sisters and I were small as he was a violent alcoholic, so it's good that he left.

But there were times when my mother had very little and she used to say, "At least we aren't in the Poor House"! I never knew what she meant until today when I happened upon this video. Amazing !!!

She has now passed on, bless her heart! I will always remember her saying, "At least we're not in the Poor House!"

[arielkoubi]

I am not from a British decent and have no relatives that went through this system however, this documentary made me cry and realize that as a private citizen in my own community I am not doing enough for those in need. Things are about to change.

[TheLastRainShadow]

I find the actor's genuine outrage and disgust at the system very refreshing. It gives this documentary a lot of heart. God rest the souls of these poor people who suffered needlessly.

[golemsnatch]

My great aunt's husband and his sister were sent to the workhouse circa 1870 when their parents died. While they were there the sister was hit across the head by the matron, with a set of heavy keys. She was one of the poor souls who died in these hell holes. She was ten years old.

[sleepers]

Isn't it funny how the problem is called 'poverty' when in fact the actual problem is 'greed'.
Or maybe we should call poverty a symptom of greed.

[jacquietremain]

My mother Peggy missed out on the workhouse by being placed in an orphanage run by a church. The nuns were so cruel. Peggy was in the orphanage from 9 till 18.she could not leave at the usual 16 as all her mother and step father could offer was a mattress in a celler. It affected her for her whole life. Broken families and poverty ruin generations.

[nichegoseberazdvatri]

I found out my grandmother had a twin sister who had died of starvation when they were just toddlers. She only confessed this to us on her deathbed. I still think about this everyday. Tell your family. They deserve to know.

[wendygreidanus]

I'm Canadian, born and raised, yet I can remember my mum and her aunts speaking of the Workhouse. We didn't have such a thing in Canada, but my mum's family were Irish immigrants, and were dirt poor. It's amazing how through the generations, the fear inspired by the Victorian Workhouses, reached Canadian shores. The scars inflicted weren't just on those housed within its walls, but on those who knew the stories of others who had been.

[julztt]

I love how Brian Cox is so outspoken and he's rightly horrified at the lack of care and treatment for the poor. Opium and Asylums were all the people living in these horrendous conditions and physical pain were offered. The asylums were more like torture chambers with the boiling baths and hysteria machines. Just awful. I'm glad Charlie made it. He gave his Mother a happy last few years as well.

[annarushlau]

Awwww the one where the old man saved enough for his funeral at the age of 91 so as not to be a burden even in death made me cry.

[katygallardo]

It’s sad to hear that a lot of them only entered the workhouse because they needed healthcare. And even more devastating when you realize that here in America, people in poverty will commit crimes on purpose to get into prison… for the healthcare. 😢

[flowersforthedead]

The love his mother must have felt to name him Friend. That just stabbed my heart to bits for some reason.

[TheCrabbyWitch]

My Nana was born in 1945 in London and was abandoned by her mother and she grew up in an orphanage. Definitely not the same as the workhouse, but she has always had difficulty talking about her time in the orphanage and the few times she has spoken on the subject it makes her very emotional and the conditions she described sound very similar to the condition people would face in the workhouse.
A very sad and harsh reality. It’s hard for modern day people to fathom the sorts of living conditions there were not even that long ago.