A workhouse in England was an institution that provided accommodation and employment for people who were unable to support themselves financially. The origins of workhouses can be traced back to the Statute of Cambridge in 1388, which aimed to address labor shortages after the Black Death by restricting the movement of laborers and making the state responsible for supporting the poor. However, the established system of poor relief became unsustainable in the early 1830s due to mass unemployment, the introduction of new technology, and a series of bad harvests.
During the Victorian era, workhouses became notorious for their harsh conditions, forced child labor, long hours, malnutrition, beatings, and neglect. They were designed to deal with the issue of pauperism but often functioned as prison systems, detaining the most vulnerable members of society. The workhouse system was heavily criticized by authors like Charles Dickens, who depicted its failings in his novels, such as "Oliver Twist".
The 1601 Poor Relief Act established the provision of state-provided poor relief, which initially took the form of non-residential handouts such as bread, clothing, fuel, or money. However, from the 1620s, institutions providing poor relief began to be called workhouses, although they were often non-residential in nature. The 1834 New Poor Laws introduction led to the construction of workhouses throughout the country, as they became the primary means of providing support for the poor.
Workhouses continued to exist well into the 20th century, with some of them being renamed as public assistance institutions and providing temporary accommodation for the homeless. The Poor Law Amendment of 1834 standardized the system of poor relief in Britain, and groups of parishes were combined into unions responsible for workhouses. Under this new law, all relief to the able-bodied in their own homes was abolished, and they were required to enter the workhouse to receive assistance.
