Long-term Workhouse Inmates in Whittlesey Union, Cambridgeshire, 1861
In 1861, the Poor Law Board published a return of the name every adult pauper who had been a workhouse inmate for a continuous period of five years or more, together with the duration of their residence (in years and months), the reason for it, and whether they had been brought up in a District or separate Workhouse School. It was noted that the term 'District School' had been widely misinterpreted by respondents as meaning any school in the local area, such as a national or private school, and that there was only one instance in the whole report of an inmate actually having been in such a school.
| Name | Yrs | ms. | Reason | School |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Boyce | 25 | 0 | Idiot | no. |
| John Davis | 10 | 0 | Age and infirmity | no. |
| John Hiliham | 5 | 0 | Cripple | no. |
| John Bedford | 6 | 0 | Age and infirmity | no. |
| James Bailey | 6 | 0 | Imbecility | no. |
| John Langroom | 9 | 0 | Infirmity | no. |
| John Anchor | 6 | 0 | Lost the use of one hand | no. |
| Thomas Blessed | 5 | 0 | Imbecility | no. |
| Francis Holmes | 6 | 0 | ditto | no. |
For US readers 
Unless otherwise indicated, this page () is copyright Peter Higginbotham. Contents may not be reproduced without permission.