I applied to Mrs Ogden as soon as she was Matron respecting the state my place was in as to the supply of linen & clothes. She told me as soon as she had time she would come & look at my place & get me some things, & she came did same. In about a month she gave me some things frocks, pinafores, shirts & flannels. Afterwards I had a comfortable supply with the exception of stockings. The stockings have remained deficient. I should say I have had a comfortable supply for four months. Quite that long. The infants wore [three] frocks flannels & shirts a week. The Pinafores were changed twice a Week. This was after I had a supply from the Matron. When the Matron first came the children’s frocks were sometimes not changed for a month. Sometimes the children have had to wear their stockings three or four weeks. The largest number of Infants I have had under my care is 45. They were all under 4 years old. During the deficiency of articles I washed the xxxxxx often them often. Twice a week. I had a very middling supply of shoes, as I applied for them I got them when they were in store. It sometimes happened that there were none in store & that I went without. It happened very often; but in a general way the Infants were not bad off for shoes. Some xx of their shoes xxxxx were out at toe, & sometimes they had to wear their own shoes. I am speaking of shoes since Septr last. I had but one suffering from chilblains all the winter and that came in bad. I had some suffering from itch & scald head. When those came [****] found out [*******]. I had six towels for these children. They were changed once a week; but I washed them out every morning. I am not aware that it was part of my duty to wash these towels out every morning. The six towels were used indifferently for all the children. I had four combs, no brushes. The combs were kept on purpose for children with scald heads.
The children with scald head were always washed last. The towels were not used again without being washed. The Towels were xxxxx not washed with soap. That washing was not sufficient.
Sarah Hemming
Sworn at Birmingham the 10th August 1855 before me Alfred Austin, Poor Law Inspector
Discuss as a class and perhaps focus on the following vocabulary:
- Frocks
- Pinafores
- Deficient
- Middling supply
- Chilblains
- Itch and scald head
Focus points to discuss:
- How is this different to the experience in the first letter?
- How is this similar to the experience in the first letter?
- What impression do these two letters give you about the children’s clothing?