Workhouse Lives: Staffing Institutions Under the Old and New Poor Laws (States, People, and the History of Social Change)

Following the passage of the 1834 New Poor Law, parishes in England and Wales were organized into unions, each of which had at least one workhouse, a public institution where impoverished individuals and families were housed, fed, and put to work.Beyond bricks and regulations, the workhouse was shaped and animated by those who ran it.Workhouse Lives reconstructs the careers and experiences of workhouse staff: masters and matrons, nurses, schoolmasters, porters, chaplains, taskmasters, relieving officers, and inspectors. In the workhouse, roles overlapped, lines of responsibility blurred, and power was constantly negotiated.As the functions of the welfare state expanded, staff were expected to manage dormitories and medical wards, teach children and offer spiritual guidance, resolve disputes, keep records, administer vaccinations, arrange foster placements, and conduct sanitary inspections.Violence was a regular feature of workhouse life, arising from clashes between staff and inmates,