Workhouse
Workhouses were public institutions established to provide relief for the poor under Britain’s Poor Law. The modern form emerged with the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834, which created centralized workhouses run by boards of guardians. The system aimed to standardize relief, offer indoor support, and deter paupers from seeking aid outside the workhouse by making conditions there less eligible than the worst conditions outside the system.
Inside a workhouse, admission was arranged by local relief officers or unions. Inmates resided under strict,
The workhouse system became a focal point of controversy, criticism, and reform. While some institutions gradually
The decline of the workhouse system began in the 20th century as welfare reforms reduced reliance on