We had to get up at 7 am – wash face, ears, arms and legs and were then inspected by Matron’s maid, Maggie McQuillan – dressed in clothing supplied by the Workhouse – frock, socks, shoes, etc. Breakfast was at 8 a.m. – this was porridge, tea and bread The plain white loaf was cut in quarters – each child was given a quarter with a wedge of butter placed on top. There were no knives available, so the butter had to be spread with the fingers. Off to Church School – St Swithin’s Parish Church – to be there for 9 a.m., bringing a packed lunch.
Due to doing messages for the teacher, did not get a lot of schooling. Never in a great hurry to return to the Workhouse after school. Dinner was given on return and a little homework done – if the evenings were good we played outside in the playground.
At bedtime the children had to go and wash their feet. The Roman Catholics said their prayers downstairs at night and Protestants upstairs – this was the reverse in the morning. The bed had a mattress covered with a thick sheet and another thick blanket, covered with a fine blue bedspread – no pillows and no hot water bottles allowed. Maggie, Matron’s maid, slept in the dormitory with the girls – the gas light was not kept on for very long. Maggie had a hot water bottle and her cat for company. Friday night was bath and hair washing night, in tepid water.
A panelled door, at the top of the stairs, separating the dormitory from the young women’s quarters, had spaces to allow a hand through. Each night mothers and children came to the door, so that they could hold hands and say “Good night”. The mothers helped in the dining room or the laundry, where there were large boilers for doing the washing – they had to do the ironing, and scrubbing the floors, as
well. The schoolgirls had to sew sheets during the school holidays. In the dining hall, the females sat on one side and males on the other side. Each child was sent to its place of worship on Sunday morning and some of them sang in the choir.
The minister of St. Swithin’s sent his surplice up to the Workhouse to be laundered, he would tuck it under a child’s arm each Sunday morning The Workhouse schoolroom was not required as a schoolroom, as all the children attended outside schools – at Christmas it was used for the Christmas party, with a tree and presents for all.
In the vicinity of the dormitory, the Matron, Miss Allen, had a large room where she could have friends to stay overnight. She also had a cat – it was allowed to stay in her room. The Master would have been strict with the children, but everyone was kind to them. from Notes – courtesy Dorothy Fleming
