Lesson 5: Features of the Whitechapel Workhouses

• What were workhouses?

  Buildings set up by the government
• Why were workhouses established in the early 1800s?

  To support the increasing number of poor
• What did workhouses provide in return for work?

  Basic shelter, food, and water
• Who lived in the workhouses?

  The very poorest in society
• Who were some of the specific groups of people in workhouses?

  Orphaned children and unmarried mothers
• How long would people typically stay in a workhouse?

  1 or 2 nights or longer for some
• What was the condition of poverty in Whitechapel?

  Above average need for workhouses
• What type of work did inmates do in workhouses?

  Physical hard labour
• What were some tasks inmates performed?

  Breaking up rocks and making matches
• How would you describe the hygiene in workhouses?

  Dirty and cold with basic food
• What facilities were available for inmates in workhouses?

  Basic bathroom facilities and open yards
• How were workhouses designed in terms of conditions?

  Based on prison plans with strict rules
• What were inmates in workhouses called?

  Inmates
• How were inmates separated in workhouses?

  By gender and age groups
• What was the purpose of the infirmary in workhouses?

  To care for the sick
• Why were conditions in workhouses made strict and demanding?

  To deter people from using them
• What could happen if inmates talked during work hours?

  They could be punished
• What did inmates have to wear in workhouses?

  A uniform
• What happened to families in workhouses?

  Families would be split up
• What was the purpose of workhouses in relation to urban poverty?

  To provide Pear Relief for the poor
• How did the design of workhouses reflect their purpose?

  They were designed to deter use and enforce rules