St Ives Workhouse Children

Children in St Ives Workhouse

In Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist, Oliver, starving in the workhouse, shocked the authorities by asking for more gruel. To get rid of him, they apprenticed him to an undertaker.

In the mid-1800s, half of the workhouse population were children. Half of these (a quarter of the total population) were without their parents. Abandoned, orphaned, or from families too poor to care for them. Some had siblings with them, others were alone.

Read of their experiences. Discover how St Ives children fared after leaving the workhouse.

Oliver Twist asks for more gruel.

Conditions in Workhouses
The Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834 reduced costs by making workhouses the major source of relief. Though they provided shelter and food, life was harsh, especially for children. Discipline was strict, routines rigid, and uniforms mandatory. Authorities often separated children from parents and siblings.

Overcrowding and poor hygiene spread diseases like cholera and tuberculosis. Meals were monotonous and inadequate, though better than starvation. They were gruel, bread, and occasional potatoes or meat.

By the mid-1800s, some workhouses offered basic education. This focused on reading, writing, and simple arithmetic. Children helped by cleaning, doing laundry, or other work.

Older children worked as farm laborers or domestic servants. While this provided employment, it could lead to exploitation and abuse. Workhouse children faced social stigma. Labelled as paupers, they faced discrimination even after leaving. There was little affection or kindness, leading to lasting mental health issues.

By the late 1800s, there was a growing awareness about the plight of children in workhouses. This led to reforms focused on better education, care, and opportunities. The 1880 compulsory education laws gave workhouse children greater access to schooling. The early 1900s saw the creation of more humane institutions.

Young girls in a workhouse, c1897.
Their heads are shaved to combat lice infestation.

St Ives Union Workhouse
The first workhouse in St Ives opened in 1719, housing 80 inmates. 1836 saw the creation of the St Ives Poor Law Union. A Board of Guardians oversaw administration. A year later, they built a larger workhouse. This served surrounding parishes, accommodating up to 400 inmates.

Strict rules governed who could claim relief. Claimants had to prove settlement in the parish. This was through apprenticeship, employment, or property rental. Women derived settlement from their husbands. Children's entitlement came from their parents, provided they were born in the parish. In 1834, St Ives sued Chatteris parish officers. St Ives claimed Chatteris had arranged a pauper marriage to shift care costs onto St Ives. Despite what seemed like a £3 bribe (£300 today), the judge dismissed St Ives claim.

In 1838, James Drage, the workhouse keeper, was in court for assault. His victim was 14-year-old inmate Thomas Thompson. Despite evidence of severe beating, the jury found Drage not guilty. The jury ruled Thomas deserved the punishment. In 1887, William Wheatley highlighted issues in the workhouse. He claimed there was harsh treatment of relief applicants by the Guardians. In 1913, John Laud alleged his neglect of his mother in the workhouse. He claimed she received insufficient food and care. The Guardians launched an extensive investigation.

Conditions in St Ives Workhouse were deliberately austere, but not the worst. From the 1850s onward, the Guardians provided Christmas dinners. Served up was roast beef, vegetables, and plum pudding. Beer and wine, gifts and entertainment followed. The 1925 dinner was typical of this tradition.

Inmates worked to maintain the workhouse. Younger children handled domestic chores, while teenagers took on adult tasks. Oakum picking, a tedious process of untwisting tarred ship ropes, was common. This exhausting work often left fingers sore and bleeding. The fibres sealed joints in ships and pipes. In 1869, William Tomkins and John Smith refused to pick a pound of oakum. Sentenced to hard labour in Huntingdon Gaol, they endured up to hours on the treadmill.

In 1841, there were 88 inmates, with no complete family groups. Employment opportunities in St Ives kept families out of the workhouse. By 1851, the inmate population had quadrupled to 320, including entire families. Children under 12 made up 40% of the total. Two-thirds were still with their parents, though almost 50 children were alone.

Unemployment was the cause for more than half the men. Half of those were ex-farm labourers. Agricultural advancements reduced the need for workers. Losing a farm job also meant losing tied housing. Farmers began hiring day labourers instead of offering permanent jobs.

The Irish Potato Famine from 1845 to 1852 was another cause of the 1851 unemployment crisis. One million people emigrated from Ireland. Most stayed near to where they landed, too destitute to venture further inland. But there is evidence some made it as far as St Ives. Four workhouse inmates were Irish tramps. No doubt more were working in and around St Ives. With an excess of labour, farmers could reduce wages.

Census records from 1841 onward show children received some education. Most of the time, the workhouse had a single schoolmistress. In 1851, 18-year-old Mary Biggs, daughter of the matron, struggled to teach 112 children aged 2 to 12. Teachers lived in the workhouse, unmarried or widowed. By 1911, Ruby Cartwright (23) was the Industrial Trainer. This showed a focus on practical skills to improve employment prospects.

There was little doubt about the destination of young girls after the workhouse. London needed domestic servants. In the life stories below, all ended up in domestic service, almost all in London.

Most remained unmarried. They had no time to court. Working days ran from 5.00am to 10.00pm. Some servants received a half-day per week. Typical were Sunday afternoons to attend church services. Others had only one full day off per month. Days off were not a certainty. Many servants had little to no personal time. Their employers wanted them available whenever needed.

Boys in a workhouse, c1897.

The life stories of St Ives children in the workhouse
SAMUEL, REUBEN, and NAOMI LEE spent much of their childhood in the St Ives workhouse. In 1841, Samuel lived with his parents and two older sisters in Meeting Lane, St Ives, near the Quay. His father, Joshua, a 32-year-old tailor, had a shop on Bridge Street. Samuel's mother was Susan (née See). Reuben was born in 1843, and Naomi in 1844.

Joshua died in 1845, leaving Susan to care for five children, including two infants. Unable to manage, she abandoned her youngest children. In 1846, Susan received one month's hard labour for deserting four children. They were in the workhouse. Hard labour for Susan involved the treadmill or crank machine at Huntingdon goal.

By 1847, Susan faced her fourth court appearance for abandoning her children. She got a third consecutive sentence of three months' hard labour. On her eighth conviction in 1850, she was homeless. Susan got 42 days' hard labour for sleeping in a barn at Huntingdon. Later that year, there was a ninth conviction. She stole a half sovereign and three pennies at Huntingdon. Six months' hard labour was her punishment. In 1851, Samuel (13), Reuben (8), and Naomi (7) remained in the workhouse. Susan died in 1864 at St Ives.

By 1853, Samuel was out of the workhouse and in trouble, sentenced to  6 month's hard labour for larceny by servant. It's uncertain what happened to Samuel on release.

In 1861, 18-year-old Reuben was a draper's apprentice with James Kenward at The Pavement, St Ives. By 1871, he was married with two young children. Reuben was an unemployed commercial traveller and shopman, living at 8 Darwood Place. No further records of Reuben exist.

In 1871, 28-year-old Naomi was an unmarried servant for George Fisher in Clapham. By 1881, she worked for William Leeson in Camberwell. She was the sole servant for 13 people, still unmarried. In 1901, Naomi, aged 58, was a charwoman boarding with Peter Lee (no relation) in Lewisham. Naomi died in 1930 at Lewisham, aged 86.

RUTH and ELIZA THURLEY entered St Ives Workhouse after their parents' death. The family lived in Peck's Yard, St Ives. Their father, William, a groom, died in 1841. Their mother, Mary, gave birth to Eliza in 1842 and died in 1845. They had three older sisters employed as house servants across the county. In 1851, Ruth (11) and Eliza (8) were in the workhouse and later also became servants.

In 1861, Ruth was cook for Eliza Ulph, an ironmonger in Bridge Street, and her four adult children. The 1871 census records her visiting William Bidwell in Green Street. Unmarried, she was still a domestic servant. The census noted her health was in decline. Ruth died later in 1871 at St Ives, aged 30.

Eliza remained unmarried. In 1871, she was one of two housemaids under the charge of a housekeeper. She served the family of artist painter John Taylor in Hampstead, London. By 1881, she worked as a lady's maid for Eliza Allen, wife of an Independent Minister, in Finsbury, London. Eliza's mistress was also from Huntingdonshire, so possibly they might have known each other. Eliza died about 1890, aged 48 years.

ELIZABETH and ANNE OFFLEY had a challenging upbringing. Their father, Robert, nicknamed Holy Moses, was a drover, tramp and prophetic rhymer. In 1861, the family lived in Woolpack Lane, off Merryland. 

Their mother died in 1862. By 1865, Elizabeth and Anne were in St Ives workhouse. Robert married Eliza Smith in 1870. He became responsible for her two illegitimate children, as well as his own. He was unable or unwilling to care for any of the four children. In 1871, Elizabeth (15) and Anne (10) were in St Ives Workhouse. Eliza's children were in Bedford Workhouse. That year, the authorities caught up with Robert. He got one month's hard labour for neglecting to maintain his two children. Elizabeth and Anne had spent six years in the workhouse.

It could be the children were fortunate to be in the workhouse. Robert and his second wife had a daughter, Charlotte. She died at 10 months in 1873 from starvation because of neglect. He was lucky to avoid a murder conviction. Robert cared for the souls of his fellow creatures. He showed little concern for the physical well-being of his children.

Elizabeth died in 1874 aged 18 in St Ives. By 1881, Anne worked as a domestic servant for Robert Clements in Hackney, London. There is no record of her thereafter.

MABEL, DORCAS, GWENDOLINE, DAISY and LILY MITCHELL spent some years in St Ives Workhouse. In 1881, their father, Sidney, was a domestic coachman in Houghton. Because of his large family, Sidney struggled to find work. He deserted them near Winchester in 1886. The Guardians of Winchester Workhouse judged they had no responsibility. They transferred the wife and daughters to St Ives Workhouse. St Ives Bench fined Sidney 10 shillings and £2 18s costs (£400 today).

In 1891, Mabel (12), Dorcas  (11), Gwendoline (10), Daisy (9) and Lily (6) were still in St Ives Workhouse. Their mother, Charlotte, lodged at the Crown & Mitre, Wellington Street, St Ives. This was one of the cheapest and most disagreeable places to stay. Charlotte had hit rock bottom, recorded as a tramp with an infant daughter Violet, 9 months old. There is no trace of father Sidney, Charlotte or Violet, after 1891.

When Mabel married in 1904, Gwendoline and Lily were witnesses at the ceremony. Mabel died in 1915, aged 37. Dorcas moved to London, working as a domestic servant. She married in 1902 and lived there until her death in 1961 at age 83. Gwendoline also worked as a domestic servant in London, never married, and died in 1961 at age 77. Daisy followed her sisters into domestic service in London, and married in 1928. She died in 1960 at age 79. Lily entered domestic service in London and died in 1916 at age 31 from tuberculosis at her eldest sister Elizabeth's home.