The Work House

Watched a docu on 'the Workhouses' which were ongoing up to 1948 ...
The thing that sent shivers down me spine, was the perception of mostly decent folk, 'all' being tarred with the same brush .... It really did resemble todays attitude and I wondered if the institution would return ....
The miracle of survival was Charlie Chaplin whose Mother had to go there with him in tow, he was 6. They seperated Mothers from their children in there .... As he was so young tho' he had the will and determination to make good, which he did of course and it was so uplifting when he rescued Mum and gave her a decent life ......

Re: The Work House

Sadly, many women killed themselves and their children rather than face a life in the workhouse. The rate things are going, it will be all that some people would hope for once they've trimmed back pensions so far people can't live on them.

Re: The Work House

You're talking of my name-sake Karen darlin'.

Re: The Work House

After seeing the programme - which 'was' too close for comfort, I do think you could be right .... awful thought, but I know 'many' people are already feeling so distressed ...

Re: The Work House

I was born in 1948, so have no personal experience of the "workhouse" but I can testify to its power in the imagination as an earthly form of hell. Growing up, the threat of "ending up in the workhouse" was the worst possible fate imaginable for my parents' and grandparents' generations. It was an always present fear for my grandma, who had known extreme poverty but had always managed to avoid the fate worse than death which was the workhouse.

Re: The Work House

I believe my Nan was in the work house for a period, she was about 7 when her Mum died and when her Dad was struggling with the 9 children he had to chose 6 to go into the work house. I say I believe she was in there as she never spoke of it but she had nightmares all her life of it happening, such violent nightmares must have come from real experience I think.

She never speaks of her family life again until she was 14 when she went to work in a local big house as a scullery maid, worked her way up to ladies maid then married my granddad.

Her Dad felt terrible shame and guilt over what he had to do, it was hard to feel badly about him for it as the entire family could have starved to death.

Re: The Work House

The workhouses may have gone by 1947 but just remember Britain was still exporting poor children to Canada and Australia as late as 1967.

Aged between 5 and 15 the children came from orphanages and institutions often sent without their parents' knowledge or permission. In the new countries the children were exploited as cheap labour by organisations such as Barnados and Fairbridge.

No one comes out of this shameful episode with much credit.

Re: The Work House

Seems like a lot of trauma suffered even without the workhouses.
Those who had to give up children for adoption, some of the children who were adopted. Those who still lived in a family environment but were ill treated either mentally or physically, and that is still going on today.

Re: The Work House

I knew a little of this Bruce - it was mentioned on our news last year ..... it is horrible and shameful .....

Re: The Work House

I watched both Parts 1 and 2 of this programme and I found it extremely sad. To my knowledge none of my family in the past had to experience the workhouse, but I don't know for certain sure. That must have been horrendous, but for many the only way of survival. Very sad indeed.