The New Poor Law

Following the conclusions of the Commission, Royal Assent was granted on 14 August 1834⁽¹⁴⁾ and the Poor Law Amendment Act was placed on the Statute Book.

The new Act minimised the provision of outdoor relief and made confinement in a workhouse the central element of the new system. To qualify for relief, it was not sufficient for the able-bodied to be poor, they actually had to be completely destitute. The measure of this was their willingness to enter the workhouse, and it was originally planned that this was to be the only provision for relief. Only the truly deserving - in the opinion of the government - would be those 'desiring' to reside in such a repellent institution. To help them in their decision, the surroundings were made as unpleasant as possible as an obvious deterrent to those seeking relief.

Consequently, married couples were separated and children taken from their parents. Overall, inmates were segregated into seven groups according to age and sex; - aged or infirm men or women; able bodied men or women over 16; boys or girls aged 7-15; and children under seven. Each group was assigned its own day rooms, sleeping rooms and exercise yards. They could see each other, but not speak during communal meals or at chapel, and could only meet at infrequent intervals at the discretion of the guardians.

In 1865, Agnes Jones, a Nightingale nurse who tried to improve the nursing at Liverpool Workhouse wrote:

Florence Nightingale said of her:

'In less than three years she reduced one of the most disorderly populations in the world to something like Christian discipline. She converted the Liverpool Select Vestry to the conviction, as well as the humanity; of nursing the pauper sick by trained nurses, the first instance of its kind in England '⁽²⁸⁾

West Derby Workhouse Rice Lane Walton on HIll Lancashire.

The 1881 Census lists Bernard Farrel 71(years) W(Widowed) Dock Labourer Ireland.

Website: www.workhouses.org.uk

Since Helen Farrel his wife died in 1875, and Bernard originally came from Ireland, it seems a close match that this could be the Bernard Farrell I was looking for. (I will keep on looking though for further confirmation)

Entering a workhouse was difficult and meant in all practical terms that you had "sold yourself". It was viewed a crime to be so poor that you couldn't take care of yourself or your family, you also lost your right to vote. They were also called "inmates" and had to wear the workhouse uniform. After going through severe hardship in the first place, you had a choice of either starving to death or "selling yourself". What a choice.