Exeter Workhouse

[overlandermatt]

I've recently come across the case of a GG grandmother Harriet Adelaide Brand b1833 in Exeter who ended up in Exeter Workhouse in 1845. I'm trying to understand a little more about how the system would have worked...

Harriet was the youngest of the daughters of Elizabeth White and William Brand who died at an unknown time before 1837. Elizabeth then married John Endacott and had a further 3 children that were alive at the time Elizabeth died in 1844. Newspaper reports of the incident reveal a harrowing time of neglect and cruelty by John Endacott that resulted in the removal of Harriet and the three Endacott children (Mary Jane, John and Matilda) to the local workhouse.

I'm interested to know at what age children would have left 'home' during such times - Endacott did not appear to take responsibility for the elder siblings of Harriet. I'm not sure how long the workhouse would have looked after the children - in the 1851 census Mary and Matilda are still at the workhouse aged 13 and 9. How long would they have stayed? Harriet is working at a pub in 1851.

I shall investigate what happened to these children. I think Matilda died at the workhouse...

Would there have been workhouse records kept and later archived?

Thank you in advance for any thoughts... 

[KGarrad]

Any records still existing will be at Devon Heritage Centre.

You can read about Exeter Workhouse here:
https://www.workhouses.org.uk/Exeter/

[overlandermatt]

Any records still existing will be at Devon Heritage Centre.

You can read about Exeter Workhouse here:
https://www.workhouses.org.uk/Exeter/

Thanks for that! I did take a look at the Workhouses page and identified the building and its location. A post on a Facebook group suggested the Heritage Centre did not have any registers for inhabitants which is a shame.

Two of the children died in the workhouse - aged just 7 and 11. Those were hard times.

[Mabel Bagshawe]

I've recently come across the case of a GG grandmother Harriet Adelaide Brand b1833 in Exeter who ended up in Exeter Workhouse in 1845. I'm trying to understand a little more about how the system would have worked...

Harriet was the youngest of the daughters of Elizabeth White and William Brand who died at an unknown time before 1837. Elizabeth then married John Endacott and had a further 3 children that were alive at the time Elizabeth died in 1844. Newspaper reports of the incident reveal a harrowing time of neglect and cruelty by John Endacott that resulted in the removal of Harriet and the three Endacott children (Mary Jane, John and Matilda) to the local workhouse.

I'm interested to know at what age children would have left 'home' during such times - Endacott did not appear to take responsibility for the elder siblings of Harriet. I'm not sure how long the workhouse would have looked after the children - in the 1851 census Mary and Matilda are still at the workhouse aged 13 and 9. How long would they have stayed? Harriet is working at a pub in 1851.

I shall investigate what happened to these children. I think Matilda died at the workhouse...

Would there have been workhouse records kept and later archived?

Thank you in advance for any thoughts...

If there was no one around to care for them, children tended to stay in the workhouse/under the auspices of the Poor law Guardians until they were about 14, then often sent into domestic service/employment/apprenticeship/armed forces

[overlandermatt]

If there was no one around to care for them, children tended to stay in the workhouse/under the auspices of the Poor law Guardians until they were about 14, then often sent into domestic service/employment/apprenticeship/armed forces

Thank you Mabel.

I wasn't sure of the age that the children would have left the workstation. 14 makes some sense given a number of other ancestors who joined the Royal Marines at 14. I'm still looking into what Harriet's older siblings ended up doing. None were mentioned as living with the stepfather after their mother died. If records from the workhouse exist then they would reveal what happened to Harriet. She would have probably had two years there...

[sleepybarb]

Tree house may have the records if the archives don’t.There were two workhouses in Exeter.Redhills in St.Thomas .It became a hospital.And Heavitree which also became a hospital.You may have seen it on Who Do You Think You Are with Rose Ayling Ellis.
Barb

[overlandermatt]

Thank you Barb. I suspect that my GG grandmother would have spent time in Heavitree in the 1840s. I think there were other relatives that were in the workhouse in the 1880s.

A visit to the Tree house might be helpful. I have an interest in the workhouses and prisons in Exeter.

Thanks again.

[BumbleB]

Removed - already dealt with