Workhouse Women

Task One: Class Discussion

Key questions:

• What is a workhouse?
• Why do we think some people need to move to indoor relief?
• Do we think everyone’s experiences of the workhouse were the same?

Students to analyse the survey included in the Return Book from Mitford and Launditch workhouse in Norfolk. Students then complete an inference question: What can we infer about people entering the workhouse based on the source?

Task Two:
Look at the five pieces of information about conditions within the workhouse. In groups students should remember one key fact each and then under timed conditions share their key fact with their group. Students then feedback and compare what they have learned about the experiences of women in the Victorian workhouse.

Task Three:

Students should look at each letter and complete the table. They should include the TNA catalogue reference, the name of the person writing the letter, key details from the letter and then finally answering the question “how were they treated within the workhouse?”

Task Four:
Students write an introduction to a time-travellers guide about the experiences of women in the workhouse: including an answer to the question: What was life like for women in the Victorian workhouse?