The Workhouse: The People, the Places, the Life Behind Doors

Synopsis

&“A poignant account&” of the reality behind these famous Victorian institutions where the poor resided (The Independent). During the nineteenth century, the workhouse cast a shadow over the lives of the English poor. The destitute and the desperate sought refuge within its forbidding walls. And it was an ever-present threat if poor families failed to look after themselves properly. In this fully updated and revised edition of his bestselling book, Simon Fowler takes a fresh look at the institution that most of us are familiar with only from Dickens novels or films, and the people who sought help from it. He looks at how the system of the Poor Law of which the workhouse was a key part was organized, and the men and women who ran the workhouses or were employed to care for the inmates. But above all this is the moving story of the tens of thousands of children, men, women and the elderly who were forced to endure grim conditions to survive in an unfeeling world. &“Draws powerfully on letters from The National Archives ... brings out the horror, but it is fair-minded to those struggling to be humane within an inhumane system.&”—The Independent &“A good introduction.&”—The Guardian

Copyright:

2014

Book Details

Book Quality:

Publisher Quality

Book Size:

224 Pages

ISBN-13:

9781473840843

Related ISBNs:

9781783831517

Publisher:

Pen & Sword Books

Date of Addition:

05/06/24

Copyrighted By:

Simon Fowler

Adult content:

No

Language:

English

Has Image Descriptions:

No

Categories:

History, Nonfiction, Social Studies, Politics and Government, Sociology

Submitted By:

Bookshare Staff

Usage Restrictions:

This is a copyrighted book.