General

The traditional image of Christmas Day in the workhouse is of inmates sitting down to beef and plum pudding. Reports in local newspapers confirmed this but also highlighted that there were many more treats and gifts provided by local shop keepers and wealthy patrons.  

The Morpeth Herald reported that Alnwick workhouse enjoyed a happy Christmas in 1888. There was the usual dinner of beef and plum pudding, but residents were also given sweets. Smokers were gifted tobacco and those who didn’t smoke received tea and sugar. All children received sweetmeats and oranges. In the evening, all inmates were treated to tea with fruit and cakes which was followed by musical entertainment. The children received toys, cakes and buns and all the older inmates were given a glass of punch at the close of the evening. 

In December 1903, there was a lovely treat for the younger members of Alnwick workhouse. Her Grace the Duchess of Northumberland gave an afternoon tea and gifted a Christmas tree to the children. The tea took place in St. Michael’s Guild Room in Alnwick and 25 children were present under the supervision of the Matron and the School Superintendent. They had a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon and received gifts of sweets and toys. Her Grace the Duchess of Northumberland and the Ladies Margaret and Victoria were present during the festivities. 

In 1904, to go with the beef and plum pudding, Alnwick inmates also feasted on mutton, pork and mince pies. Half a barrel of ale was supplied by the Alnwick Brewery Company and Messrs T. Dixon & Son, Confectioners, supplied all the children with sweets. In the afternoon all residents were entertained to a nice tea. The Duke’s forester sent evergreens for the adornment of the dining hall and Mrs Bosanquet of Rock Hall sent a Christmas letter conveying seasonal greetings and words of encouragement and hope for the future. The ladies Margaret and Victoria Percy gave presents of cake, tobacco and flowers. 

The Morpeth Herald reported that Christmas 1864 was a very happy one in Morpeth workhouse. A Christmas tree was exhibited for the entertainment of the children and was laden with oranges, apples and sweetmeats of various kinds. After they had feasted on the pretty vision of the tree, the fruits were distributed to the excited infants.  Mr Robert Oliver, baker of the town, proudly presented each inmate with a piece of his ’monster loaf’. In 1888, the Christmas beef was described as ‘prime’ beef and this was accompanied by an abundance of vegetables. A full barrel of beer was supplied and pretty plants decorated the dining tables. The Rector gave Christmas cards and each inmate received a Christmas letter from the Young Women’s Christian Association. 

The Hexham Courant reported on workhouses in Hexham, Rothbury and Haltwhistle. In 1877, the children of Hexham workhouse enjoyed a treat of tea and oranges provided by the Waddilove family of the parish. The festivities took place in the boys school room which was decorated in a neat and tasteful manner with holly, evergreens and Chinese lanterns. On Christmas Day, the Hexham inmates received an unexpected treat after lunch. The band of the Hexham Rifle Corps, on their way back from a performance, entered the workhouse yard and to the great delight of inmates played a selection of music ending with Auld Lang Syne. The following year, it was agreed by the Hexham Guardians to give the inmates a tea on New Years Day instead of beer with their Christmas Dinner. This was readily welcomed by all. 

In 1889, residents of Haltwhistle workhouse were reported to have received their usual Christmas breakfast treat of fruit loaf, cheese, tea and coffee. Dinner was the usual beef and plum pudding then after the meal there was entertainment in the dining room which had been beautifully decorated for the occasion. Inmates were treated to a performance of Little Red Riding Hood by Miss Saint’s Sunday School class. After the show there was singing and dancing then a tea similar to breakfast finished off the lovely day. 

On Christmas Eve in 1904, all inmates in Rothbury workhouse had an excellent tea and the smokers were given tobacco. On Christmas Day all the children received toys, and cakes were supplied as an extra treat for tea. Mr & Mrs Donkin of Haw Hill presented each inmate with half a pound of tea and sugar and gave tobacco to the smokers. Mrs Blackett-Ord sent two parcels of tea, shawls for the old women and toys for the children. 

The case books record many sad and tragic stories but the most heartbreaking are the entries for children. Although they made up a small percentage of patients, it is important to remember that children were admitted and were often there for many years. Some were discharged but sadly, some died in the asylum. 

Entries in the case books often label young children as idiots and class them as dangerous to others. Many suffered from epilepsy and had severe fits so were placed in the asylum as parents were unable to look after them. The patients below were extracted from the male case books. Female admissions will feature in a future blog.  

Patient 1  Age 9  This child was admitted on 13 February 1893 as a result of epilepsy. He is classed as dangerous to others due to a habit of biting and scratching. He has a wild and vacant stare and is constantly rolling his head and eyes. He is unable to articulate words, shouts for no apparent reason and laughs in an idiotic fashion. His mother states he has taken fits since he was three years old. He constantly tried to bite and scratch other children in his household and would often put faeces in his mouth and try to eat scrap metal and paint. When his mother was pregnant, she received a shock and she believes this resulted in her child becoming mentally unstable.   Ward doctors note that this boy labours under idiocy and has almost no intelligence. On 14 February 1893, he was on an observation ward but on 23 February he is transferred to the female ward. It is noted that he is a big favourite with the women and is a great pet. By 6 March, he is having frequent fits and not sleeping well. He is regularly given Chloral to keep him quiet. By August he is classed as a chronic case and is having to be looked after like a baby.  Although his condition does not improve, this boy was discharged on 17 December 1894.

Patient 2  Age 14    This boy entered the asylum on 12 February 1893. His behaviour at home has become increasingly worrying and there are fears for the safety of the family. He set fire to clothing in a wardrobe, hit his brother and threatened his mother with a knife. After speaking to his mother, the ward doctor discovered that the boys destructive and violent behaviour started a week ago and concludes it is probably due to shock after the recent death of his father.  Once on the ward, staff struggle to keep the boy in bed. He constantly mutters and talks incoherently. He is always running about, shouting and making a great noise. He likes to sing loudly and laugh to himself. He is quite incapable of rational conversation. On the 8 March 1893, it is noted that he cut his wrist after putting his arm through a window. By 13 June 1894, his notes state that he labours under chronic mania with occasional stupor. By the next month he has stopped eating and lies quietly in bed. He shuts his teeth tight so food can’t be slotted through them.    This young boy sadly died on 16 July 1894. The cause of death is noted as General Paralysis.

Patient 3  Age 9  This young boy was admitted on 7 October 1915. He is classed as an idiot with epilepsy who is restless and screams. He is unable to talk and doesn’t seem to understand what is said to him. He father states that he is dangerous as he takes severe fits and needs to be tied to a chair to stop him from injuring his little brother.  On admission, the doctor notes that the boy labours under idiocy with epilepsy and has no intelligence. He is unable to understand the simplest question and wets and soils himself. He is also unable able to feed himself.    This boy was only in the asylum for eight days and was discharged on 15 October 1915. His notes read discharged but not improved.

Patient 4  Aged 8  This young boy entered the asylum on 23 November 1896. The case book states that this congenital idiot with epilepsy is filthy in his habits and violent in his conduct. He is quite incapable of taking care of himself. Before entry to the asylum, he would often break furniture and injure other family members.   After admission, it is discovered that the boy loves music and enjoys being in the ballroom on occasions when dances are held. He constantly hops about waving his arms. He brightens up as soon as the music begins. His notes show that since admission in 1896, he has never had any fits but on 14 October 1898, he had his first attack in the asylum. These fits continue and in October 1901, doctors note that this imbecile shows no mental improvement. By 1905 the fits are more frequent resulting in the sad death of the boy on 11 August 1905 [aged 15].    An attendant responsible for the care of the young boy, provided a witness statement as a post mortem was requested. The attendant stated that the patient had a fit around 6.45pm on 10 August 1905 and fell forward onto the arm of a sofa. After the attack was over the boy seemed to have no pain so was put to bed. About 8.55pm he had another severe fit and the Medical Officer was summoned as the boy became unconscious. He remained this way until he passed away at 4am. The Assistant Medical Officer stated he was satisfied that there had been no violence towards the child from either attendants or patients. He believed the force of the fall had resulted in a rupture to the stomach owing to distension after the evening meal. A post mortem found a rupture on the stomach on the anterior surface, three inches in length.   The saddest part of the report reveals that the doctor believed that the boy did not indicate he was in any pain due to his feeble minded condition.

There is so much going on this time of the year Halloween, Bonfire night and Remembrance Day, but covid has put a dampener on all. There will be no mass gatherings around the country, at city, town and village memorials. How will you remember the war dead, human and animal? What do you call it Poppy Day, Armistice Day or Remembrance Day? Everyone calls it something different. When I was asked to write this blog I didn’t know what I would find. Many newspaper reports basically say that there was a church service and wreaths laid at memorials, but I did find some interesting snippets that you may or may not know. I hope you enjoy this article.

Why the Poppy when did it all start?

The beautiful landscapes of France and Flanders were totally transformed over 4 years of war and bloodshed. The landscape was turned into a muddy quagmire, bleak and barren where nothing surely could grow. However the bright red of the Flanders poppy flourished in the middle of the destruction and chaos and they grew in their thousands. In 1915, Canadian Lt. Colonel John McCrea, wrote a poem following the loss of a close friend and was moved by the sight of these poppies. The poem was called ‘In Flanders Fields’. This poem inspired an American academic Professor Moina Michael to adopt the poppy in memory of the fallen and started a campaign across the world. A French lady called Anna Guerin was in London in 1921 selling poppies when she met Earl Haigh founder of Royal British Legion and she persuaded him to adopt the poppy as the organisations emblem which we have all grown up to recognise. The British Legion ordered 11 million poppies that year and they quickly sold out. The Legion raised £106,000. To ensure that in years to come there were plenty poppies for future appeals, Major George Howson set up a poppy factory which employed disabled ex servicemen to make them.

Earl Haig’s wife Lady Haig set up a similar factory in Edinburgh, producing poppies for the Scottish populace. These are different from the English poppy as they have four petals and no leaf like ours. Today these are still made by hand by disabled ex servicemen.

The use of the poppy is an apt emblem to adopt as it is a symbol of sleep, peace and death. Sleep because the opium extracted from the poppy is used as a sedative and the blood red colour a symbol of death. In Greek and Roman mythology poppies were used as an offering to the dead.

Did you know that the Queen wears 5 poppies? It is not known why, but many believe that it represents the services in war – Army, Navy, Royal Air Force, Civil Defence and Women. 

The first Armistice Day was held on 11 Nov. 1919, a year after hostiles ceased and peace was declared. In response to Politicians and suggestions by King George V the country paused for a two minute silence and this happened until the outbreak of World War Two. After World War Two Armistice Day was replaced in a way by Remembrance Sunday and this was standardised in 1956 and fixed to the second Sunday of the month.

In November 1922, the Blyth News reported that Armistice Day was observed by the sale of Flanders Poppies in aid of Ex Servicemen’s funds. The Band of Blyth Royal Field Artillery met in the market place and played a selection of hymns at 11 o’clock, bussers sounded and church bells rang to mark the two minute silence. Interestingly the day before, a ceremony took place at the Wellesley Nautical School when the boys sang “Lest we Forget” before the wonderfully names Captain Kitcat gave an address before the two minute silence and prayers.

In September 1927 the same newspaper published an interesting article on how some of our allies celebrate the day – “Great Britain celebrates Armistice Day not as a day of national grief, but rather as a commemoration of a great occasion in the National History. The following statement appears in an Admiralty Fleet Order. The Order lays down procedure to be followed on board ships and states that when other ships are present from other nations. The procedure maybe complicated owning to differences in the conception as to how the day should be observed. In France the achievement of victory is more emphasised, while in Italy the birthday of the King is celebrated on that day. When a British ship is with ships of any nation (except Italy) there will be a short service followed by a two minute silence and then the last post will be sounded. Ships are not, to half mast the colours. If the vessel is in a French port or near a French ship the French custom of dressing ship, firing salutes and illuminating will not be followed. If in Italy or near Italian ships then at 8am the ship must be dressed, 10.35 undress the ship; 10.45 to 11.05 British Ceremony at 12 noon redress the ship fire royal salute of 21 guns at sunset undress ship.

In 1929 the BBC announced that the Cenotaph Service for Armistice Day will be relayed from Whitehall to all BBC stations on the experimental short wave transmitters. At 10.30-10.45 the massed bands of the Grenadier, Coldstream, Scot, Irish and Welsh Guards will play a selection of hymns. At 10.50 there will be a pause whilst the Prince of Wales lays a wreath on behalf of the King. The chimes of Big Ben will sound the start of the two minutes silence and then a trumpeter from Royal Air Force will play the Last Post.

The Hartlepool Northern Daily Mail published an article on 11 November 1939, that could describe anywhere and what are parents and grandparents must have experienced. “Armistice day in a world of sandbags boarded up windows, whitened pavements, gas masks and tin helmets, but still bought an important message. There might not be parades in Whitehall, no official silence and less public shows of remembrance through the country, but nearly every hoarding proclaims courage, resolution, sacrifice which is at the heart of Armistice and what the country still needs. Alongside the British Poppy there appears the French Cornflower. Two Million Cornflowers, the emblems of the French who died in the last war have been flown from Paris by special aeroplane and have been distributed around the UK. Thousands of Poppies have been sent to troops serving in France and to the ships of the Royal Navy.  

During the War the massed gatherings at Whitehall were considered not appropriate by the King and the Government so none took place. An announcement was published in the Shields Daily News on 11 November 1943 that the German controlled Paris radio stated that the Vichy Ministry of Interior had banned the Armistice celebrations in France. However Moroccan radio said that the French command of nation Liberation would meet today for a solemn celebration of Armistice Day.

Things returned to normal after the war and Remembrance Day services resumed and were well attended on the second Sunday in November and 11 November Armistice Day is still remembered. I know we all gather in the search room to show our respects to remember the fallen of the two world wars as well as the conflicts in Korea, Falklands War, the Gulf War, Afghanistan and Iraq.

The Morpeth Herald in 1951 recorded that a Polish Padre from Hartford conducted a service on Friday 1^st November at Morpeth Cenotaph in remembrance of the Polish dead. The gathering then proceeded to Morpeth churchyard when candles were lit on the graves of dead comrades, relatives and friends. These services started in 1945 and has continued ever since by Polish people in Morpeth and its districts. The following day members of the Royal British Legion placed poppies on all the graves.

In 1943 the Morpeth Branch of Royal British Legion laid a wreath in the churchyard with the following inscription:-

“This wreath is placed in proud and loving memory of all service and ex servicemen buried in this churchyard.”