Workhouse Infirmary

[John Rose]

My great grandfather, according to his death certificate, died in the Workhouse Infirmary, Brook Street, Lambeth in 1900, cause of death nephritis, I believe a kidney disease. The informant was his widow still living in the marital home. Could it be that work house infirmaries were used as hospitals for poorer people or those with terminal illness. Obviously there were no National Health Service hospitals at the time so what happened to ordinary folk who needed hospital treatment ??. This family still had a home so it seems unlikely that g.grandfather was a workhouse inmate because he had no home.

[Jan1954]

MyCould it be that work house infirmaries were used as hospitals for poorer people Yes, most definitely.

Obviously there were no National Health Service hospitals at the time so what happened to ordinary folk who needed hospital treatment ??. They used the services of the local infirmary, which was run by the local Guardians of the poor. Have a look at workhouses.org.uk under Lambeth St Mary and you will be able to see what it was like.

[John Rose]

thank you Jan. I rather thought that would be the answer as G.grandfather was only 60 years old at his death and had been a factory manager until he became ill. Still not enough to pay for private hospital treatment.

John

[benny1982]

Hi

When I first started researching my family history a few death certs that I recieved were of ancestors who died in the workhouse and I thought that they were paupers and were there due to dire poverty or laziness.

But having cross referenced their death dates with the workhouse records such as admission registers, deaths in workhouse I found that they were in the workhouse due to illness such as "Chronic bronchitis" etc and one died the day after being admitted it dawned on me that their admissions were due to illness, not poverty. I then learned that many workhouse infirmaries acted as local hospitals, especially in London and other big cities.

Several of my London relatives ended up in a workhouse infirmary but due to dying of a contageous or other illness, or infirmity.

Ben