Long-term Workhouse Inmates in Boston Union, Lincolnshire, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas Baines | 16 | 0 | Partially idiotic and infirm | no. |
| Eliza Haw | 13 | 0 | Lameness | yes. |
| Mary Rose | 17 | 0 | Infirmity of mind | no. |
| Betsy Scotney | 13 | 0 | Blindness | yes. |
| Hannah Smith | 7 | 0 | Idiotic | no. |
| Thomas Thooley | 6 | 0 | Infirmity of body | no. |
| Maria Jillson | 14 | 0 | Old age | no. |
| Elizabeth Vines | 17 | 0 | Insane | no. |
| Rebecca Willson | 5 | 0 | Idiotic | no. |
| Harriet Bryant | 18 | 0 | Infirmity of mind | yes. |
| Mary Robinson | 9 | 0 | Lameness | no. |
| Elith Richardson | 17 | 0 | Infirmity of body | yes. |
| John Humble | 9 | 0 | Having fits, and old age | no. |
| John Kyme | 9 | 0 | Having fits | no. |
| John Bennett | 9 | 0 | ditto | no. |
| Elizabeth Sharpe | 12 | 0 | Having illegitimate children dependent upon her | no. |
| Edward Fox | 6 | 0 | Lameness | no. |
| Elizabeth Chantry | 18 | 0 | Infirmity of mind and body | yes. |
| Thomas Hurst | 17 | 0 | Defective speech and lameness | no. |
| Martha Holdsworth | 17 | 0 | Insane, harmless | no. |
| Joseph Jefferry | 11 | 0 | Blindness | no. |
| Henry Mittam | 7 | 0 | Old age | no. |
| Thomas Williamson | 5 | 0 | Fits and idiotic | no. |
For US readers 
Unless otherwise indicated, this page () is copyright Peter Higginbotham. Contents may not be reproduced without permission.