Long-term Workhouse Inmates in Gateshead Union, County Durham, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rebecca Todd | 19 | 0 | Insane | no. |
| Ann Laws | 12 | 0 | ditto | no. |
| Eleanor Hailes | 22 | 0 | Lame, unable to work. | no. |
| William Ingleby | 12 | 0 | Loss of parents, weak intellect. | workh. school. |
| Elizabeth Elliott | 9 | 0 | Deaf and dumb | no. |
| John Parkin | 13 | 0 | Loss of sight | no. |
| Elizabeth Bowlt | 10 | 0 | Imbecile | no. |
| Mary Parker | 7 | 0 | Insane | no. |
| Samuel Thynn | 6 | 0 | Rupture | no. |
| James Sunter | 11 | 6 | Paralytic | no. |
| George Squires | 11 | 0 | Ulcers in the legs | no. |
| Jonas Laws | 7 | 0 | Asthmatic | no. |
| Matthew Bright | 13 | 0 | Dropsy | no. |
For US readers 
Unless otherwise indicated, this page () is copyright Peter Higginbotham. Contents may not be reproduced without permission.