Hi Casey, I also found my George Lines in the Barnet Workhouse in 1880 where he died. George was originally from Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire, born 1799. He turned up in Ridge, Hertfordshire in 1861 - now separated from his wife Ann who was living in Surrey with her daughter and her daughters family and also her Grand daughter from another child. Living in Ridge was Georges son and very close Ridge in South Mimms was another son and also close, living in Whetstone was another son. George was also living in Ridge in 1871. Now he says he is a widow - but his wife Ann is still in Surrey, very much alive. So I also wondered; why did George finish his days in a Workhouse? To Quote from the book Historic Barnet - 5th edition, edited by W.H. Gelder. People went into the workhouse for various reasons and usually in a pitiable condition, all noted down in the appropriate column. There were the old and the ill, the lame and infirm, the deaf and the blind or weak-sighted, and those who had suffered a stroke or had cancer or were rheumaticky. There were also those of a mental condition described variously as 'weak intellect', 'weak head', imbecile's or simply 'idiot'. Deserted wives often ended up in workhouses especially if they had young children or were pregnant and couldn't support themselves. The terms 'tramp' and the term 'bastard' were in common use. People gripped by the 'drink' were also admitted. Children very young were assigned often as a labourer and sent to work (In fact it was a friend of the author Charles Dickens who visited the Barnet workhouse and was there when a child asked for more - the reaction was as shown in the Oliver Twist movie) Of course those with what was then called a mental illness often ended up in an Asylum. Then they would be called Lunatics. Occupations entered are of all kinds. Misfortune struck seemingly at random and included the following: a beadle, a pot-boy, a haymaker, a footman, a ploughman, a shoemaker, a blacksmith, a cattle-driver, a chimney-sweep , and a washerwoman. To finish this, a final quote: "We might call them the dead unlucky and the lucky dead, for life which led to the workhouse was scarcely worth living.! Hope this has been informative Gay O'Neill ----- Original Message ----- From: "cassy" <cassyfranklin@blueyonder.co.uk> To: <ENG-HERTFORDSHIRE-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Wednesday, July 06, 2005 2:14 AM Subject: [HRT] Hertford workhouse > Hi All Can anyone give me any info on Hertford workhouse, please > I found my grandmother in there on the 1861 census Mary Warner , (maiden > name Fitzjohn ) Is the building still up and are they any details > on line about it Also I cant understand why she was in there ,has she had > many children Cheers > Cassy -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.323 / Virus Database: 267.8.9/39 - Release Date: 4/07/2005

Thanks for that interesting insight Gay. The fear of the workhouse lingered long after their demise. I remember one of the favourite sayings of my grandmother back in the 50's was "You'll end up in the workhouse" if any of the grandchildren came home with a bad report from school. Sandra Gay O'Neill wrote: > Hi Casey, > I also found my George Lines in the Barnet Workhouse in 1880 where he > died. > George was originally from Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire, born 1799. > He turned up in Ridge, Hertfordshire in 1861 - now separated from his > wife Ann who was living in Surrey with her daughter and her daughters > family and also her Grand daughter from another child. > Living in Ridge was Georges son and very close Ridge in South Mimms > was another son and also close, living in Whetstone was another son. > George was also living in Ridge in 1871. Now he says he is a widow - > but his wife Ann is still in Surrey, very much alive. > So I also wondered; why did George finish his days in a Workhouse? > To Quote from the book Historic Barnet - 5th edition, edited by W.H. > Gelder. > People went into the workhouse for various reasons and usually in a > pitiable condition, all noted down in the appropriate column. There > were the old and the ill, the lame and infirm, the deaf and the blind > or weak-sighted, and those who had suffered a stroke or had cancer or > were rheumaticky. There were also those of a mental condition > described variously as 'weak intellect', 'weak head', imbecile's or > simply 'idiot'. Deserted wives often ended up in workhouses especially > if they had young children or were pregnant and couldn't support > themselves. > The terms 'tramp' and the term 'bastard' were in common use. People > gripped by the 'drink' were also admitted. Children very young were > assigned often as a labourer and sent to work (In fact it was a friend > of the author Charles Dickens who visited the Barnet workhouse and > was there when a child asked for more - the reaction was as shown in > the Oliver Twist movie) > Of course those with what was then called a mental illness often ended > up in an Asylum. Then they would be called Lunatics. > Occupations entered are of all kinds. Misfortune struck seemingly at > random and included the following: a beadle, a pot-boy, a haymaker, a > footman, a ploughman, a shoemaker, a blacksmith, a cattle-driver, a > chimney-sweep , and a washerwoman. > To finish this, a final quote: > "We might call them the dead unlucky and the lucky dead, for life > which led to the workhouse was scarcely worth living.! > Hope this has been informative > Gay O'Neill > ----- Original Message ----- From: "cassy" > <cassyfranklin@blueyonder.co.uk> > To: <ENG-HERTFORDSHIRE-L@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Wednesday, July 06, 2005 2:14 AM > Subject: [HRT] Hertford workhouse > > >> Hi All Can anyone give me any info on Hertford workhouse, please >> I found my grandmother in there on the 1861 census Mary Warner , >> (maiden name Fitzjohn ) Is the building still up and are they any >> details >> on line about it Also I cant understand why she was in there ,has she >> had many children Cheers >> Cassy > > > >

Hi Gay thank you for this it was really interesting I know my Mary Warner husband died but they where both on the 1851 census , missing off the 61 so I just thought both had died till I starting looking for Warner's on the 61 Thanks Cassy ----- Original Message ----- From: "Gay O'Neill" <gayoneill@bigpond.com> To: <ENG-HERTFORDSHIRE-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Wednesday, July 06, 2005 3:42 AM Subject: [HRT] Hertford workhouse > Hi Casey, > I also found my George Lines in the Barnet Workhouse in 1880 where he > died. > George was originally from Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire, born 1799. > He turned up in Ridge, Hertfordshire in 1861 - now separated from his wife > Ann who was living in Surrey with her daughter and her daughters family > and also her Grand daughter from another child. > Living in Ridge was Georges son and very close Ridge in South Mimms was > another son and also close, living in Whetstone was another son. > George was also living in Ridge in 1871. Now he says he is a widow - but > his wife Ann is still in Surrey, very much alive. > So I also wondered; why did George finish his days in a Workhouse? > To Quote from the book Historic Barnet - 5th edition, edited by W.H. > Gelder. > People went into the workhouse for various reasons and usually in a > pitiable condition, all noted down in the appropriate column. There were > the old and the ill, the lame and infirm, the deaf and the blind or > weak-sighted, and those who had suffered a stroke or had cancer or were > rheumaticky. There were also those of a mental condition described > variously as 'weak intellect', 'weak head', imbecile's or simply 'idiot'. > Deserted wives often ended up in workhouses especially if they had young > children or were pregnant and couldn't support themselves. > The terms 'tramp' and the term 'bastard' were in common use. People > gripped by the 'drink' were also admitted. Children very young were > assigned often as a labourer and sent to work (In fact it was a friend of > the author Charles Dickens who visited the Barnet workhouse and was there > when a child asked for more - the reaction was as shown in the Oliver > Twist movie) > Of course those with what was then called a mental illness often ended up > in an Asylum. Then they would be called Lunatics. > Occupations entered are of all kinds. Misfortune struck seemingly at > random and included the following: a beadle, a pot-boy, a haymaker, a > footman, a ploughman, a shoemaker, a blacksmith, a cattle-driver, a > chimney-sweep , and a washerwoman. > To finish this, a final quote: > "We might call them the dead unlucky and the lucky dead, for life which > led to the workhouse was scarcely worth living.! > Hope this has been informative > Gay O'Neill > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "cassy" <cassyfranklin@blueyonder.co.uk> > To: <ENG-HERTFORDSHIRE-L@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Wednesday, July 06, 2005 2:14 AM > Subject: [HRT] Hertford workhouse > > >> Hi All Can anyone give me any info on Hertford workhouse, please >> I found my grandmother in there on the 1861 census Mary Warner , (maiden >> name Fitzjohn ) Is the building still up and are they any details >> on line about it Also I cant understand why she was in there ,has she had >> many children Cheers >> Cassy > > > > -- > No virus found in this outgoing message. > Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. > Version: 7.0.323 / Virus Database: 267.8.9/39 - Release Date: 4/07/2005 > > > ==== ENG-HERTFORDSHIRE Mailing List ==== > For any updates our info about the status of this list go to > http://helpdesk.rootsweb.com > > > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. > Version: 7.0.323 / Virus Database: 267.8.9/39 - Release Date: 04/07/2005 > > -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.323 / Virus Database: 267.8.10/43 - Release Date: 06/07/2005