Description:Hard times lay just around the corner for many Potteries people in the early 1800s.
Local parishes paid limited benefits to those in dire straits; however, those worst affected by unemployment, hunger or mental health problems might simply end up in the workhouse.
Work could sometimes be found in or out of the workhouse, but conditions for inmates were spartan at best.
This document lists the residents, their ages and their occupations.
It invites parishioners (who paid a levy to support the workhouse) to examine the sums spent by the institution on meals and supplies.
In doing so, the authors report on some trying times for the people of the Potteries.
Workhouse list (in order of appearance)
Clews, John, 36; almost blind;
Clews, Ellen, 47; sick;
Colclough, Sarah, 54; employed in the House;
Twaytes, James, 34; work, Messrs. R. Thompson & Son.;
Chadwick, Hannah, 44; employed in the House;
Oakes, Mary, 74; superannuated;
Walton, James, 82; ditto;
Barnett, Samuel, 67; sick;
Booth, Hugh, 56; insane;
Booth, Amy, 55; employed in the House;
Walton, Nancy, 74; superannuated;
Smith, John, 82; ditto;
Plimbley, Elizabeth, 82; ditto;
Walklate, William, 12; work, Messrs. R. Thompson & Son;
Lowe, Martha, 92; superannuated;
Wilson, William, 82; employed on bye Roads;
Coclough, Mary, 34; idiot;
Coclough, William, 11; ditto;
Coclough, James, infant, 21 months;
Myatt, Thomas, 5;
Myatt, Mary, 9;
Myatt, Henry, 11; works at Mr. Henshall’s;
Hancock, Mary, 30; idiot;
Chadwick, Sarah, 29; sick;
Chadwick, James, 5;
Tunstall, Mary, 38; insane;
Wareham, Thomas, 65; superannuated;
Goodfellow, Phillis, 39; employed in the House;
Goodfellow, Rache1, 10; works at Mr. Henshall’s;
Goodfellow, Amy, 5;
Goodfellow, Sarah, 13; out of employ;
Smith, Sarah, 23; works at Mr. Henshall’s;
Smith, Eliza, 5;
Hulme, Elijah, 52; superannuated pensioner;
Cartledge, James, 25; out of employ;
Preen, Mary, 12; works at Mr. Henshall’s;
Preen, Eliza, 9; ditto;
Preen, Charlotte, 7;
Cook, Ellen, 27; employed in the House;
Collins, Thomas, 67; superannuated;
Beeton, Hannah, 69; ditto;
Stew, Ann, 77, ditto;
Lycett, Maria, 16; works at Mr. Faulkner’s;
Lycett, Mary, 8; ditto;
Lycett, Margaret, 10; ditto Mr. Henshall’s;
Lycett, Ellen, 5;
Horton, Everett, 39; makes and mends shoes in House;
Horton, Ann, 37; employed in the House;
Horton, Samuel, 9; works at Mr. Faulkner’s;
Horton, Ann, 7;
Horton, James, 3;
Horton, Emma, infant 12 months;
Venables, James, 11; sick;
Heath, Thomas, 49; lame;
Bradshaw, Edna, 14; works at Mr Faulkner’s;
Bradshaw, Henry, 11; ditto;
Heath, Mary, 24; pregnant of a Bastard Child;
Copeland, Thomas, 40; out of Employ
Eardley, Margaret, insane;
Rogers, Robert, 75; superannuated.
Number of Persons Receiving Relief.
Casual List 243
Pension List 253
Bastardy List 115
Workhouse List 59
Lunatic Asylum 3
Total 67
Benefits paid out
Casual List £467 8s ld
Pension List £1347 10s 10s 5d
Bastardy List £453 9s 4d
Total £2268 8s 4d
Sundries used in and out of the Workhouse, for which there are Vouchers. The Bills to be seen at the Public Office at any time.
Ale for Workhouse Funerals £1 0s 0d
Beef £68 17s 5½d.
Butter £6 6s 0d
Barm 13s 9d
Bacon £15 14s 3d
Bricklayers’ Work 11s 7d
Blacksmiths’ Work 16s 0d
Besoms £1 1s 7d
Clothing £60 13s l½d.
Cheese £34 7s 2½d.
Candles £1 15s 6d
Coals £33 2s
Cooperage 12s 11d
Chaff for Beds and Straw Nothing
Earthenware 5s
Flour £10 14s 4d
Groceries £11 12s 3½d
Garden Seeds 2s 3d
Glaziers £1 9s 2d
Ironmongery £2 15s 8½d
Joiners’ Work 8s 6d
Leather, &c. £14 11s 8½d
Logwood and Copperas. 2s 6d
Meal £124 17s
Milk £28 13s 9d
Malt and Hops £2 9s 8d
Onions Nothing
Oil, Wool and Shoe £1 3s 4d
Pigs £6 16s 11d
Potatoes £27 8s 10d
Peas £9 13s 6d
Soft Soap £3 15s
Soap £8 16s
Sand 8s 9d
Soda 1s 4d
Saltpetre 1s 8d
Sundries 14s 1d
Salt 19s 8d
Treacle £7 3s 9d
Tin Ware 13s 3d
Vinegar 7s 4d
Wool £2 13s 4d
Scissors, Razors, &c.
repairing 5s
Total £494 17s 6d
"
SIXTY-THREE — the average number of Poor in the Workhouse, from the 25th March, 1830, to 25th March, 1831.
"The Levy Payers residing in the different Liberties, are particularly requested to enquire into the respective cases that may be within their knowledge, and to report to the Parish Officers in case any unnecessary allowance may be on the List.
"At present all Bills are paid weekly, and the actual Levy Payers will not in future be charged with the payment of Arrear Bills.
"The Vouchers, Bills, Books, &c. &c. are to be seen at the Public Office, Wolstanton, on any of the week days, where any communications relative to the Parish will be attended to.
"In consequence of many Persons having gained Settlements in this Parish through being hired for a Year, without any exception, the Parish is thereby become greatly burdened with Paupers. The Churchwardens and Overseers therefore particularly request that the Manufacturers, Shopkeepers and others, of the PARISH OF WOLSTANTON, will in future be very cautious in their Hirings, so as not to make their Servants Parishioners; and also to prohibit their Workmen from hiring Assistants, without entering their Names and the terms of their agreement in the General Hiring Book.
"All Potters, &c. who are only required to work on the Week Days, should have an exception of Sundays and Holydays in their Hirings ; and in-door Servants, and such others as are required to work on Sundays, should not be hired for a longer period than 51 weeks at one time."
About this document
Burslem pottery manufacturer Enoch Wood collected this document and it is now among the collections at Stoke-on-Trent Museums.