Any ideas why son didn't look after father?

[Clarinetguy]

My G-G-Grandfather was living in Coates for the April 1891 census. He died in Whittlesey workhouse on 8th Feb the next year [I have the death certificate]. His son was still living in Coates so I wondered how I could find out what caused this state of affairs; why didn't he take him in do you think?

I appreciate these are many resources on the web about the workhouse system. I guess a trip to the relevant record office....?

[Waitabit]

Then & now, not everyone was/is capable of looking after another person no matter how close or dear to them. It may have been financial, housing space or perhaps that your G..Gt.G'Father needed health care.

[Barnzzz]

I've got a similar situation, where someone died in the workhouse of 'gradual decay' but had a son and two daughters living nearby. Presumably his family couldn't or wouldn't look after him. Maybe they were too poor, they had no room, the unrelated spouses were unwilling to take him in, or he had a condition that made him too challenging for them to deal with.

[Colin Rowledge]

My G-G-Grandfather was living in Coates for the April 1891 census. I appreciate these are many resources on the web about the workhouse system.

The cause of death may give clue about the why!! any complaints, such as 'dementia' or 'cancer' were beyond the comprehension of those who wanted to take care of a loved one and just like to today, we take the utmost care in providing suitable arrangements for our parents.

Finacial considerations play a great part today in the care of our older generations and the costs can be astronomical. 100 years ago there were neither the facilities nor the support mechanicsms in place to support the care so, as hard as it may seem in the light of today that may have been the best option for the care of G-G-Grandfather.

Colin

[Guy Etchells]

You mention they were both living in Coates, but your message suggests they were not living in the same house in Coates.
Could they have been estranged prior to your G-G-Grandfather going into the workhouse.

However I feel Wikipedia may supply your answer
http://en.
wikipedia.org/wiki/Whittlesey_Workhouse
It seems there was high unemployment in the area, the answer is probably old age and no money forced him into the workhouse.
Cheers
Guy

[DorothySandra]

I had the same question about one of my ancestors: she was 80, and seems to have gone into the workhouse when her husband died - they had been living in an almshouse. They had a thriving family of sons and daughters and grandchildren in the same county.

The workhouse records aren't available, but I was told that the workhouse had the nearest thing to a hospital in the area, and she may well have been there because she needed care.

[Clarinetguy]

Thanks for all the replies, some of which had crossed my mind (no, my wife wouldn't have wanted an ill father-in-law living with us). From looking at other records where aged parents lived with offspring I suppose I imagined it was more the norm in the days of yore; that, and the idea I have gained from somewhere that folk would do everything possible to avoid the workhouse (and presumably to avoid their kin from going into it). GGGF was a widower and died in the workhouse of bronchitis (possibly brought on by being there?) He was 73 when he died. To answer Guy, his son had moved out years before and had his own family; I don't think they were estranged.

[sueannbowen]

Ooops messed up the quote thing. [/QUOTE]The workhouse records aren't available, but I was told that the workhouse had the nearest thing to a hospital in the area, and she may well have been there because she needed care.[/QUOTE]

I had a relative in Sussex whose family were very very close knit. I was also advised by the Archivist that the workhouse doubled as a hospital. Other elderly rellies were at home with younger family members in other census' so I assume my poor relative was too poorly to be cared for at home.

[benny1982]

Hi

My ancestor was admitted to the workhouse in 1848 and she had a 20 year old and 35 year old son. She was admitted due to illness according to the Marylebone registers so she must have needed proper health care. As other said it could be space, money and even the relative may have not wanted to burden their children, siblings etc.

Ben

[DorothySandra]

Not all workhouses were as appalling as those Charles Dickens writes about, and not all parishes were as mean. Worcester, for example had a history of looking after the sick and the old in the days before it was compulsory (I came across a newspaper article by Daniel Defoe praising that city for its generosity in this respect)

If we look at how the inmates lived, it seems horrid, but poor people in previous times did live horrid lives, by our standards: it was a struggle even for a working man to feed and clothe his family, but keeping clean was even harder. So a workhouse that provided even a small meal three times a day, and provided washing facilities, and a clean bed to sleep in was providing the essentials to a degree that their family might not be able to achieve. And don't forget, it wasn't a prison: their families could visit them, and they could, if they were fit enough, go out in the daytime and visit their friends.