Being old in Victorian Richmond: an introduction SLIDE 1 Title - PDF document

Being old in Victorian Richmond: an introduction SLIDE 1 Title slide SLIDE 2 Today most people can expect to see their eightieth birthday. But in Victorian England this was seen as being an amazing achievement. Queen Victoria was aged just 78 at the time of the Diamond Jubilee, although she looks much older. In 1851, only six per cent of Richmond’s population was over sixty. Today, in 2020, the proportion is getting on for a third. Only one centenarian lived in the town during the Victorian period: Martha Lawrence (1759-1862) who in the 1861 census was living with her medical student grandson. Little was known about special care for the elderly in part because there were so few of them. Dementia and its related diseases was referred to as ‘water on the brain.’ And because there were very few pensions most men and women continued to work until they were physically unable to. SLIDE 3 Then as now there were various ways in which the elderly were cared for. This presentation looks at the most important of them. Richmond is not an untypical example of how old people were looked after in a prosperous Victorian town. SLIDE 4 The most important resource was the family. It was expected that children, particularly unmarried daughters, would care for elderly relatives whenever possible. If the poor law guardians discovered that an aged inmate had living relatives, they would frequently discharge the individual to the care of their family, even if the man or woman’s children or grandchildren patently could not cope with the additional burden. What was important to the authorities was to save the rates and to deter people entering the workhouse unless there was absolutely no alternative. SLIDE 5 Victorian Richmond had dozens of small charities dedicated to help the poor and the elderly. Old men and women might receive gifts of bread, coal and clothing in wintertime. The Philanthropic Society made donations of a few shillings to help people in temporary distress. But those in need were often wary of applying for help. There was a saying ‘as cold as charity’ becau se money and goods would be given to

the respectable poor, who met the expectations of the those who ran the charities, rather than to those whose needs were perhaps greater. SLIDE 6 Richmond’s elderly poor were lucky as there were half a dozen almshouses locally who provided basic housing for a small number of single (or widowed) men and women. Applicants were expected to be respectable members of the Church of England and to abide by the rules laid down by the almshouses’ founders. Drunkenness was not tolerated and the seriously ill were soon sent to the workhouse infirmary from where few returned. SLIDE 7 At the heart of the welfare system in Richmond was the workhouse, which lay on the edge of the town close to Richmond Park. The ‘Aged’, as the elderl y were known consisted of men and women for whom there was no place to go. In 1856 there were three small wards for ‘old men’ and a larger one for ‘old women’. Conditions improved towards the end of the century. Elderly inmates were permitted small luxuries, such as caddies of tea and pinches of snuff. They might also receive visits from local do-gooders, although the poor law guardians did their best to discourage this. But the main problem was boredom there was very little stimulus in their lives. A journalist visiting the female day room in 1890 described ‘the lack of occupation’ and an ‘air of great depression on their faces.’ SLIDE 8 The workhouse was greatly expanded in the 1890s. A new hospital – the Grove Road Institution – was constructed for the sick and the elderly. By 1930, when the poor law union was abolished, the Institution largely housed just old people. SLIDE 9 Although it was discouraged by Whitehall, the poor law guardians could pay what was called ‘out - relief’ . This had been the favoured means of support to the elderly by the overseers of the poor before the introduction of the New Poor Law in 1834. The poor law guardians in Richmond liked to grant relief in kind; bread, grocery or meat tickets to the value of a few pence to be exchanged for goods at certain local shops. This ensured that paupers could not spend their relief on drink. Or elderly men and women might receive two shillings (three shillings for a couple). It was not a generous amount, as it only provided a bare minimum to live on. The numbers supported in this way were not large. During the first quarter of 1871 only six paupers were granted out-relief, although more received vouchers for food or coals.

SLIDE 10 The lives of the elderly poor were changed overnight with the introduction of Old Age Pensions in January 1909. Funded by the state, it provided five shillings per week (seven shillings and six pence for couples) to men and women over seventy, provided they had never been inside a workhouse or prison. There was opposition to their introduction from local charities who feared that it would be paid to wastrels and that they, with their knowledge of deserving cases, would be sidelined. In fact, charity managers sat on committees which administered the pensions locally and dealt with appeals. SLIDE 11 Further reading There are many books about the care of the elderly and the Poor Law. Here are a selection: Karen Chase, The Victorians and Old Age (Oxford UP, 2009) Simon Fowler, Poverty and Philanthropy in Victorian Richmond (Richmond Local History Society, 2018) Simon Fowler, The Workhouse: the people, the places, life behind closed doors (Pen & Sword, 2016) Nigel Goose et al., The British Almshouse: new perspectives on philanthropy ca 1400- 1914 (FACHRS, 2016) Pat Thane, Old Age in English History: past experiences, present issues (Oxford UP, 2000) www.workhouses.org.uk There are also a number of articles on the Poor Law and the care of the elderly in T he Local Historian and Local History News . Also from BALH: Paul Carter and Kate Thompson (eds), Pauper Prisons, Pauper Places: the Victorian Poor Law in the East and West Midlands 1834-1871 . This book contains nine detailed studies of the Victorian Poor Law in the East and West Midlands examining the lives of poor people in the nineteenth century and showing the research value of poor law correspondence in The National Archives at Kew. Of relevance to social, economic and family historians, these case studies explore detailed accounts of the experiences of ordinary English and Welsh men, women and children. The book is available at a special offer price of £4.99 (plus £2 P and P) from the BALH website https://www.balh.org.uk/shop/shop-local-history-books See also two talks (not!) given by Dr Gill Draper at this year’s Family Tree Live: ‘Living the Poor Life’ and ‘Weddings, Work and Welfare’ https://www.balh.org.uk/resources-balh-conference-presentation-material

Simon Fowler is vice-president of Richmond History Society. By trade he a professional researcher, author and tutor. No ancestors are thought to have been workhouse inmates.