'Where is the Fault?': The Starvation of Edward Cooper at the Isle of Wight Workhouse in 1877

Abstract

Edward Cooper was a disabled pauper who died of starvation in a workhouse ‘idiot’ ward. His neglect was the result of systemic problems, exacerbated by policy, and the poor law's free market approach to employing doctors in this period. In the 1870s community care came under assault from a policy that is known to historians as the ‘crusade against outdoor relief’. Though it sought to target ‘idlers’ and ‘undeserving’ cases, the withdrawal of vital payments for familial carers drove up the number of institutionalised and vulnerable patients. In turn, workhouse medical officers and nurses were unprepared for disabled patients, such as Edward, and charges of negligence increased. This article will provide a rare and detailed comparison between Victorian workhouse care and care in the community, drawn from extant contemporary affidavits.