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Workhouse Rules - St Werburgh's, Derby
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That lying in women shall be allowed tea morning & evening for a fortnight, with some bread and butter, and sick and infirm persons shall have such diet as the Medical Attendant shall direct.
That the hour of Breakfast shall be 8 in the morning of Dinner one in the afternoon and of Supper 6 in the evening.
That (except in the case of sick and infirm persons) all provisions shall be given out and consumed in the Dining Room only, and no provisions shall on any pretence be allowed to be taken from thence by the Inmates.
That the Governor or Matron shall be present during the time of saying grace before and after meals and shall see all removed.
That the Dinners shall be put upon trenchers except on Saturdays when it shall be put in cans as also on Mondays & Wednesdays.
That the provisions shall be purchased by the Governor or Matron as the overseers shall direct from such persons who reside in the Parish and each supply shall be for one two or three months from such Resident Dealer etc and the change for the supply of milk shall be half yearly.
That all provisions shall be inspected by the Governor and if not found sufficient in weight, measure or quantity must be returned.
That the leg of beef for Sunday's dinner shall be purchased on the market day (Friday) also the leg of lamb for Wednesdays, suet for Tuesdays and mutton or pork for the Friday.
That two of the Select Vestry shall be appointed every fortnight as visitors at the house, whose duty shall be to visit the Workhouse at least twice in each week - examine the provisions, mode of cooking, cleanliness of the Inmates and the House and make a Report in a book to be kept for that purpose as the case may be.
That the fare of the Governor and Matron be supplied from the provisions of the House.
That no cups or saucers or any culinary utensils be allowed to be kept in the Bedrooms except in cases of sickness.
That the poor shall be taken to church at least once a day on the Sabbath by the Governor or Matron and in the afternoon by one of the steadiest inmates and if any of them prefer attending a Dissenting or Methodist Chapel they shall be allowed that priviledge on producing a Certificate from the Minister of such Chapel purporting He or She are constant attendants in his congregation or society.
That the inmates shall not be allowed to go out of the Workhouse to visit their friends only as the Governor shall direct, nor shall any persons be allowed to visit them at the House only on Tuesday & Fridays and that only for half an hour and in the presence of the Governor if he sees fit.
That the Inmates shall be called up in the morning by ring of the bell at half past 5 in the Summer and half past six in winter to begin to work at six in the Summer & seven in the Winter.
That they shall go to bed at 9 in Summer and 8 in Winter from 20th October to 10th March.
That all poor dying in the House shall be buried as the poor of the Parish and at Parish expense and not by their friends.
That all the inmates shall attend prayers to be used or read by the Govenor or matron in the evening prior to going to bed.
That the following diet table be adopted for Breakfast, Dinner and Supper
Breakfast and Supper
Milk porridge composed of the proper proportion of new milk & water thickened with oatmeal and poured upon the following quantities of bread cut in bits and put into tin cans. Quarts, pints and half and pint cans viz
| Working men | Sufficient quantity of porridge poured into | quart can. | Bread to weigh | 8 ozs. |
| Not working | Do | Do | Bread to weigh | 6 ozs |
| Women | Do | Pint & half can | Do | 6 ozs |
| Boys above 10 to 14 and Girls | Do | Do | Do | 6 ozs |
| Children above 2 and under 10 | Do | Pint can | Do | 4 ozs |
| Dinner. Sunday | Boiled Beef with potatoes and occasionally cabbage.The meat is taken into the room and cut up and served by the Governor or Matron. The proportion of potatoes is about a peck to every 11 persons. The proportion of beef is half a pound when raw to each inmate. Hot gravy is to be served up in jugs to pour on the potatoes. |
| Monday. | The broth from Sundays boiling made into soup with Scotch Barley or peas and a slice of bread 5 oz for men, 4 and a half oz for women and children above 10 years old and 4 oz for them under 10. |
| Tuesday. | Suet dumplings . The proportion is 2 lbs beef suet to 15 lbs flour. Men 1 lb or 1 and a quarter lb, women and 1 class children three quarters of lb and children half a pound when cooked. |
| Wednesday | Beef leg Stew with 4 ozs bread to each inmate as on Monday. |
| Thursday. | Barm dumplings the proper quantity as follows of dough for each. Men 1 lb, women & class 1 children three quarters of a lb and children half a lb. Dip is made in the summer of rhubarb boiled in water and thickened a little with flour and sweetened with treacle. |
| Friday. | Irish Stew made of mutton or pork cut up very small and boiled with potatoes, some onions pepper and salt. The portion for each inmate is according to discretion. |
| Saturday. | Rice Pudding (baked) made of rice creed in water then mixed with milk, sweetened with sugar, a little salt and some clove pepper.this is served up in the different sized cans at discretion. |
W Gawthorne, Governor