Christchurch Workhouse, Southwark

[Felix]

Hi

Have just found a record of a relative being admitted to the workhouse on 8 January 1930.

http://interactive.ancestry.co.uk/60391/31436_190852-00404/8674161?backurl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.co.uk%2f%2fcgi-bin%2fsse.dll%3fgss%3dangs-g%26new%3d1%26rank%3d1%26msT%3d1%26gsfn%3dgeorge%26gsfn_x%3d1%26gsln%3dgothard%26gsln_x%3d1%26mswpn__ftp%3dLondon%26mswpn__ftp_x%3d1%26msbdy_x%3d1%26MSAV%3d-1%26MS_AdvCB%3d1%26msbdy%3d1912%26msbpn__ftp_x%3d1%26gskw_x%3d1%26_83004002_x%3d1%26cpxt%3d1%26cp%3d4%26catbucket%3drstp%26uidh%3dmx6%26pcat%3dROOT_CATEGORY%26h%3d8674161%26recoff%3d6%2b7%26db%3dLondonAdminDisch%26indiv%3d1%26ml_rpos%3d2&ssrc=&backlabel=ReturnRecord

Would anyone be able to help me decipher what the various column headings mean?

Sorry, am a rather ignorant Aussie and any help would be greatly appreciated

[Chrissie Smiff]

I'm not sure what you mean Felix. There is date of admittance (presumably), then name, age and occupation. The last three columns appear to be for their records i.e. a case number column, then who admitted them and finally a reference to the committee and chairman of the committee.
What exactly did you want to know?

[PDennis]

I'd say apart from the obvious - Date Admitted - Name -Age - Occupation, the rest are -

Case Paper No. (File Number)
How Admitted (Who or Where admitted from) i.e. hospital, doctor, relative
Directions of Committe and initials of Chairman (In charge of Workhouse), just the names of the people agreeing the admittance.

I have to say I didn't realise that people still went into the workhouse in the 1930's.

[Olde Crone Holden]

People still went into the workhouse right up to the formation of the NHS in 1948...and after that too, although by then they weren't usually called workhouses, but hospitals or asylums etc.
The workhouse was the only place the poor could get free (or nearly free) medical treatment, or long stay disability accommodation.

OC

[Sue1]

Sometimes you are lucky enough to get some interesting info from Workhouse books but mostly just as described above. I had an elusive relative who seemed to be leading a very odd life i.e. aliases, several marriages (one of which I am sure was bogus) BUT when she next appeared in a Workhouse - and I think from memory it was also Southwark - she had been transferred from a hospital or convalescent home in Sussex and there was a note in the discharge column "ONLY TO BE DISCHARGED TO THE POLICE" - I was never able to find out any more about that but I was not all that surprised to read it.
I should add that I would never have found out anything about her intriguing lifestyle if "Val I wish I hadn't started" hadn't got her teeth into it ............thanks again Val!

[Chrissie Smiff]

Yes, I agree Sue. I went to a county records office to look mine up in the workhouse and they were hugs books that you had to wear white gloves to examine. They gave details of exactly when/why and for how long they were admitted.

[Sue1]

That is interesting Chrissie because I didn't realise they were available - I know some are online but that is probably over 100 years ago - not actually sure about that. I need to go to Norwich to look up Kings Lynn Workhouse between 1914 - 1919 - wonder if I would be allowed access. Kings Lynn Library told me they are not available yet!! - Perhaps they meant to themselves.

I looked again at the page Felix had posted and noted that against many of the entries the word "Belmont" is stamped (obviously used it a lot if they needed a stamp). Belmont was, until not too long ago, a Psychiatric Hospital near Sutton in Surrey. I imagine Southwark came under Surrey so Belmont would have been the designated psychiatric hospital. Enormous amount of Psychiatric hospitals in Surrey - there were three in Ewell (West Park was one of them) and there is/was two other enormous ones - Netherne Hospital and Cane Hill in the area south of Croydon - Surrey seems to have had a lot of psychiatric hospitals! (I grew up in Surrey!)

[Chrissie Smiff]

It would be the Records Office that would have them, if anywhere Sue. However, the Kings Lynn Records Office is closed for redevelopment until 2016 and the records are being held at the moment by the Norfolk Record Office in Norwich. I wouldn't just turn up though. It would be wise to contact them first to check what records they hold. These are the details - http://www.archives.norfolk.gov.uk/G...nro-contact-us

Norfolk Record Office
The Archive Centre
Martineau Lane
Norwich
NR1 2DQ

Telephone: 01603 222599

E-mail: norfrec@norfolk.gov.uk


p.s. The ones I looked at were for 1881 though.

[Sue1]

Many thanks Chrissie - I would never have thought of the Record Office but would have gone for the Archives in Norwich!
Have E-mailed them - suspect I won't be allowed to view them - the earliest I would want would be 1914 and the latest 1919 - bet they are tied to 100 year closure!

Sue