Berkshire Workhouses

Berkshire Workhouses

Abingdon
Bradfield Workhouse
Faringdon
Hungerford
Reading
Wallingford
Wantage

Berkshire Workhouses and Poor Law Unions

The Poor Law Unions classified as being within Berkshire are Abingdon, Bradfield, Cookham, Easthampstead, Faringdon, Hungerford, Newbury, Reading, Wallingford, Wantage, Windsor and Wokingham.

Statistics

Summary of Results.
Workhouses.
Pauper inmates of Workhouse establishments in the Registration County number 902 persons of all ages, 550 Males and 352 Females.
These represent approximately 0.52% of the general population.
At advanced ages the proportion is far higher; at 55 years and upwards the % is 2.22% and at 65 years and upwards is 3.43%.

Prisons
Prisoners in the Female Convict Prison at Aylesbury number 121.

The Blind, Deaf and Dumb
The number of persons returned as Blind is 147, and of these 4 suffer from some other Infirmity also.

Deaf and Dumb persons including 16 returned simply as Dumb, number 96, and of these 9 suffer from some other Infirmity also.

Lunatics
Lunatics number 432, including 5 afflicted with some other Infirmity also; and the Imbecile and Feeble-minded 351, including 6 otherwise afflicted. The total of these classes is 783.

It may be noted that, of the 783 persons returned as mentally deranged, 544 were the inmates of institutions, including 492 in
Public and Private Lunatic Asylums, 47 in Workhouses, and 5 in other Institutions, the remaining 239 were residing with relatives
or in unlicensed houses.

Of the 47 mentally deranged persons enumerated in Workhouses, 1 was returned as a Lunatic and 46 as Imbecile, or Feeble-minded;
and of the 239 not enumerated in Institutions, 8 were returned as Lunatics and 231 as Imbecile or Feeble-minded.

Source: Statistics submitted by Alan Longbottom
From Census Statistical Volume 1901
County of Buckinghamshire in PP 1903 Vol LXXXV Cd 1,407

Berkshire Record Office
9 Coley Avenue,
Reading,
RG1 6AF.
Tel: 0118 901 5132

Page updated August 06, 2007