Evidence about Trunch Residents from the Workhouse Minute Books
Contents of this page
1. What were the Minute Books?
2. Life in the Workhouses as suggested by the Minute Books
3. Specific mention of Trunch Residents
4. Guardians
5. Business Links
1. Workhouse Minute Books
Further information about the Workhouse can be obtained from the Minute Books. There are copies of these for 1836 to 1930 in Norfolk Record Office and also for 1836-1852 on the Family Search web site. Those for 1836-1852, have been transcribed by Bill Atkins and are freely available on the Internet click here They show that Erpingham Union had a Board of Guardians, elected from the Gentry and businessmen of each village. They were governed by the National Poor Law Commissioners and they had to respond to reports made by visiting commissioners. The Guardians met every 1 or 2 weeks and discussed the finance and running of the Workhouses in some detail and the awards of parish relief. The Minute Books record their meetings and decisions. A considerable amount of time seems to have been spent on discussing cases of people who had moved either out of or into a parish, both agreeing to repay relief paid out by other parishes and requesting relief back from other parishes.
1. What were the Minute Books?
2. Life in the Workhouses as suggested by the Minute Books
3. Specific mention of Trunch Residents
4. Guardians
5. Business Links
1. Workhouse Minute Books
Further information about the Workhouse can be obtained from the Minute Books. There are copies of these for 1836 to 1930 in Norfolk Record Office and also for 1836-1852 on the Family Search web site. Those for 1836-1852, have been transcribed by Bill Atkins and are freely available on the Internet click here They show that Erpingham Union had a Board of Guardians, elected from the Gentry and businessmen of each village. They were governed by the National Poor Law Commissioners and they had to respond to reports made by visiting commissioners. The Guardians met every 1 or 2 weeks and discussed the finance and running of the Workhouses in some detail and the awards of parish relief. The Minute Books record their meetings and decisions. A considerable amount of time seems to have been spent on discussing cases of people who had moved either out of or into a parish, both agreeing to repay relief paid out by other parishes and requesting relief back from other parishes.
2. Life in the Workhouse as suggested by the Minute Book records
The impression given by these minutes is that the Workhouse and relief system was run on strict lines and that life in the Workhouse was very hard for the inmates. The amount of food was strictly controlled and in September 1847 the children’s gruel diet was replaced by a milk and meat diet as the Medical officer reported that some children were developing skin eruptions. Living conditions seem to have been hard, with damp and dirt and beds stuffed with wheat straw and there was a dungeon for punishments. Work was breaking stones or picking oakum, which meant unraveling old tarry ropes and cordage used in shipbuilding and plumbing applications, so that it could be recycled.
However the Guardians do seem to have been concerned for the well-being of the parish residents and tried to help where possible. The Medical Officer was berated for not visiting and reporting on sick people often enough, the schoolmistress was told that she must not flog the children and food suppliers were warned when it was of a poor standard. People came and went from the Workhouse as employment was found for them and there are several references to people who had been discharged wanting to go back into the Workhouse. The parish of Trunch did have some “poor houses” and there was an enquiry when it was found that the poor were living in these rent free. In 1845 there was much emphasis on the smallpox vaccination programme. In 1847 travel assistance was also given to some paupers to enable them to emigrate (but none from Trunch as far as I can see)
The impression given by these minutes is that the Workhouse and relief system was run on strict lines and that life in the Workhouse was very hard for the inmates. The amount of food was strictly controlled and in September 1847 the children’s gruel diet was replaced by a milk and meat diet as the Medical officer reported that some children were developing skin eruptions. Living conditions seem to have been hard, with damp and dirt and beds stuffed with wheat straw and there was a dungeon for punishments. Work was breaking stones or picking oakum, which meant unraveling old tarry ropes and cordage used in shipbuilding and plumbing applications, so that it could be recycled.
However the Guardians do seem to have been concerned for the well-being of the parish residents and tried to help where possible. The Medical Officer was berated for not visiting and reporting on sick people often enough, the schoolmistress was told that she must not flog the children and food suppliers were warned when it was of a poor standard. People came and went from the Workhouse as employment was found for them and there are several references to people who had been discharged wanting to go back into the Workhouse. The parish of Trunch did have some “poor houses” and there was an enquiry when it was found that the poor were living in these rent free. In 1845 there was much emphasis on the smallpox vaccination programme. In 1847 travel assistance was also given to some paupers to enable them to emigrate (but none from Trunch as far as I can see)
3. Specific Mention of Trunch Residents
The first reference to a Trunch resident in the Minutes is on 17 Oct 1836 when Henry Newland, “a boy belonging to the Parish of Trunch” was awarded ten shillings for clothes. In 1837 Mary Suffolk was “Allowed to leave the House for 1 week” and in 1938 John Batterbee was given a loan of ten shillings.
There are several records of men abandoning or not caring for their families. In 1938 and 1842 the Parish Officers of Trunch were required to “advertise offering a reward for John W Jarvis who had absconded leaving his wife and child chargeable thereto” and in 1840 the sons of Esther French had to “show cause why they do not contribute towards the maintenance of their mother who is poor and unable to work”. It was not only men; in 1843 there was a case of Harriet Riches abandoning her child. The minutes also record several instances where unmarried women apply for relief for the alleged fathers of their children, sometimes successfully, sometimes not.
The fact that parishes were responsible for their own poor is clearly illustrated in an entry of 1841 when the parish officers agreed to repay the maintenance for a William Tooley who was living in Yorkshire and to be “ready to receive him as soon as he is able to travel, should he think proper to return to the Parish”.
One particular inmate – Jonathan Pratt, seemed to cause a lot of problems. He was sent to Sheringham Workhouse (for the infirm) in 1843 and again in January 1844. However by June 1844 he was obviously back at Gimingham and was accused of assaulting the Governor, Mr. George Rix, “striking him a blow on the breast whilst endeavouring to put him in the dungeon for misbehaviour” It was stated that he would be dealt with by the law and in August he was again going to be dealt with by the law for refusing to work. Finally in 1846 and again in 1851 he was summoned for absconding in workhouse clothes.
A full list of the mentions of Trunch residents in the Minute Books is available – Click here
There is an interesting entry in 1849 when several Trunch residents were served notices for placing muck too near homes “as to be injurious to the health of the Occupiers of the said Houses” Others were accused of having an uncovered cess pool, a pig sty too near a house, and of having a filthy house; while it was said that stagnant water in the Malthouse Yard was giving off an offensive smell. The Minutes record that most of these things were rectified by the following meeting but it does not paint a very nice picture of Trunch!
The first reference to a Trunch resident in the Minutes is on 17 Oct 1836 when Henry Newland, “a boy belonging to the Parish of Trunch” was awarded ten shillings for clothes. In 1837 Mary Suffolk was “Allowed to leave the House for 1 week” and in 1938 John Batterbee was given a loan of ten shillings.
There are several records of men abandoning or not caring for their families. In 1938 and 1842 the Parish Officers of Trunch were required to “advertise offering a reward for John W Jarvis who had absconded leaving his wife and child chargeable thereto” and in 1840 the sons of Esther French had to “show cause why they do not contribute towards the maintenance of their mother who is poor and unable to work”. It was not only men; in 1843 there was a case of Harriet Riches abandoning her child. The minutes also record several instances where unmarried women apply for relief for the alleged fathers of their children, sometimes successfully, sometimes not.
The fact that parishes were responsible for their own poor is clearly illustrated in an entry of 1841 when the parish officers agreed to repay the maintenance for a William Tooley who was living in Yorkshire and to be “ready to receive him as soon as he is able to travel, should he think proper to return to the Parish”.
One particular inmate – Jonathan Pratt, seemed to cause a lot of problems. He was sent to Sheringham Workhouse (for the infirm) in 1843 and again in January 1844. However by June 1844 he was obviously back at Gimingham and was accused of assaulting the Governor, Mr. George Rix, “striking him a blow on the breast whilst endeavouring to put him in the dungeon for misbehaviour” It was stated that he would be dealt with by the law and in August he was again going to be dealt with by the law for refusing to work. Finally in 1846 and again in 1851 he was summoned for absconding in workhouse clothes.
A full list of the mentions of Trunch residents in the Minute Books is available – Click here
There is an interesting entry in 1849 when several Trunch residents were served notices for placing muck too near homes “as to be injurious to the health of the Occupiers of the said Houses” Others were accused of having an uncovered cess pool, a pig sty too near a house, and of having a filthy house; while it was said that stagnant water in the Malthouse Yard was giving off an offensive smell. The Minutes record that most of these things were rectified by the following meeting but it does not paint a very nice picture of Trunch!
4. Guardians
Trunch residents were among the Guardians of the Workhouse and they included farmers William Long, Richard Hurst, John Warnes and Robert Wortley, as well as Robert Long and the Reverend Thomas Jarrett. Daniel Holl was also elected as a Union Officer in 1838. He seems to have fathered a child with one of the inmates but then married and became Trunch schoolmaster and parish clerk.
5. Business Links
Trunch businesses also supplied services and goods to the Workhouse. These included bricks from William Primrose, coal from the Wrights, shoes from William Benns, John French, and William Sussins, bread and flour from Brooks Love and John Bird, ale from Susan Newland, and potatoes from Thomas Sexton. In addition the farmer Robert Margeson submitted bills, and the carpenter, wheelwright and publican John Newland supplied ale and coffins. It must have been a blow to some of these businesses when the Gimingham Workhouse closed.
Trunch residents were among the Guardians of the Workhouse and they included farmers William Long, Richard Hurst, John Warnes and Robert Wortley, as well as Robert Long and the Reverend Thomas Jarrett. Daniel Holl was also elected as a Union Officer in 1838. He seems to have fathered a child with one of the inmates but then married and became Trunch schoolmaster and parish clerk.
5. Business Links
Trunch businesses also supplied services and goods to the Workhouse. These included bricks from William Primrose, coal from the Wrights, shoes from William Benns, John French, and William Sussins, bread and flour from Brooks Love and John Bird, ale from Susan Newland, and potatoes from Thomas Sexton. In addition the farmer Robert Margeson submitted bills, and the carpenter, wheelwright and publican John Newland supplied ale and coffins. It must have been a blow to some of these businesses when the Gimingham Workhouse closed.