THE BARNSLEY TIMES, SATURDAY, JUNE 7, 1856.
MEETING OF THE BOARD OF GUARDIANS
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That on entering on my duties the 20th February last, I found the children, their clothing, and bedding in the most wretched state. Out of a total of thirty-five, nine had not had a pair of clean stockings on since Christmas preceding, ten entirely without stockings, and a many having no appointed clothing of their own, as required by Article No. 8 of the Duties of the Matron,” but wearing such as they could get.
That the children are not sufficiently clothed yet, although I have repeatedly applied to the Master for what I conceive to be necessary for their comfort and cleanliness, whose repeated promises to supply it remain unperformed, having no later than this day fortnight delivered to him at his request five boys’ hats to be exchanged for new ones, and not receiving either the new or old ones back, the children had to remain from church the following day.
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Nor am I supplied with the necessary quantities of soap and other articles for that purpose, being two entire weeks without a morsel of blacking, all the children in consequence going to church with unblacked shoes. I weekly deliver to the master a list of all such articles and clothing as I conceive to be necessary, but it is rare that I receive what I name, and such as I do receive is perhaps days or even weeks afterwards.
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I am, gentlemen, your obedient servant, Anna Woodhead.
Union Workhouse, Barnsley.10th May 1856
Discuss as a class and perhaps focus on the following vocabulary:
- Wretched
- Preceding
- Stockings
- Sufficiently
Focus points to discuss:
- What impression are we given from the use of the word wretched to describe the state of the bedding?
- How long is the 20th of February after Christmas?
- What does this tell us about the amount of time they had to wait for Stockings?
- How do you think the children felt waiting this long? If you had to wait this long, do you think you would have notice?
- What do you think it meant by ‘having no appointed clothing on their own…but wearing such as they could get’? Why do you think they didn’t have clothing of their own?
- What impression can we make about the time of year and the weather? How might not being sufficiently clothed at this time of year be an issue?
- Why should they not attend church? What can we imply about the importance of going to church and what they would wear there?