The historical geography of the workhouse system in England and Wales, 1834–1883

Abstract

This paper presents a study in the historical geography of social policy. It examines the shape and evolution of the workhouse system in England and Wales during the fifty years after its establishment under the 1834 Poor Law. The paper attempts to overcome the dualism in Poor Law history between “local” and “national” research by adopting an explicity geographical perspective on patterns of social administration and institutional provision. While the 1834 reform transformed the geographical structure of Poor Law administration, the post-1834 workhouse system was far from monolithic. Using a previously neglected source, the paper analyses qualitative and quantitative aspects of the historical geography of workhouse provision. It provides a national picture of the extent of workhouse building after 1834, highlighting the impact of local resistance in certain areas. The analysis points to the significance of the administrative components of the 1834 reform, as well as to subsequent changes in institutional strategy (during the 1860s in particular) for the structure of the workhouse system as a whole. The paper thus establishes a national context for the study of local variations in workhouse provision.