Workhouse Inmates
For many people the workhouse was the place of last resort. Reasons for going to the workhouse were chronic illness, disability, unemployment, pregnancy, debt and abandonment by parents or spouse. Whole families sometimes ended up in the workhouse, and some returned more than once.
As paupers arrived at the workhouse they were washed and their hair was cut short. All their belongings were taken away and they were given a workhouse uniform to wear. Families were separated, with men, women and children living in separate blocks.
This was probably not considered cruel, since it offered more privacy, and prevented abuses. All inmates had to do some kind of work.
Staff and Occupants of the Workhouse 1891
| STAFF | |||||||
| Isaac | PRIEST | M | 46 | 1845 | Head; Workhouse master | Amblecote Staffordshire | |
| Mary | PRIEST | M | 45 | 1846 | Wife; Workhouse matron | Newcastle Under Lyme Staffordshire | |
| Lucy | PRIEST | U | 18 | 1873 | Daughter; Teacher | Newcastle Under Lyme Staffordshire | |
| Robert | CADAMY | M | 34 | 1857 | Head; Officer; Porter | Wells Next the Sea | |
| Esther | CADAMY | M | 45 | 1846 | Wife; Officer; Cook | Great Snoring | |
| Sarah Ann | HOWISON | W | 53 | 1838 | Officer; Nurse | Sculthorpe | |
| Kate Elizabeth | ROBSON | U | 18 | 1873 | Officer; Industrial Trainer | Brancaster | |
| RESIDENTS | |||||||
| Richard | BELL | U | 74 | 1817 | Painter | Wells Next the Sea | |
| Samuel | ALLISON | U | 78 | 1813 | Ag Lab. | Walsingham | |
| Abigale | MANSFIELD | W | 81 | 1810 | Seamstress | Barney | |
| Ann | MOORE | W | 41 | 1850 | Laundress | Stanhoe | |
| Alfred | MOORE | 12 | 1879 | Scholar | Tattersett | ||
| Ernest | MOORE | 10 | 1881 | Scholar | Tattersett | ||
| Horace | MOORE | 8 | 1883 | Scholar | East Barsham | ||
| Ethel | MOORE | 6 | 1885 | Scholar | East Barsham | ||
| Florence | MOORE | 1 | 1890 | Great Snoring | |||
| James | MOY | W | 82 | 1809 | Ag Lab. | Barsham | |
| Thomas | PALLANT | W | 75 | 1816 | Ag Lab. | Redgrave Suffolk | |
| Albert Rose | SHORTEN | 4 | 1887 | Great Snoring | |||
| Rose | UNDERHILL | 12 | 1879 | Scholar | Newcastle-on-Tyne | ||
| Blanche | STARLING | 13 | 1878 | Servant | Blakeney | ||
| Amelia | STARLING | 11 | 1880 | Scholar | Blakeney | ||
| Lumley | STARLING | 4 | 1887 | Blakeney | |||
| Isaac | PELLS | M | 76 | 1815 | Ag Lab. | Morston | Paralyzed |
| John | MURRELL | U | 60 | 1831 | Ag Lab. | Wiveton | Deaf & dumb |
| Jonathan | BANHAM | U | 63 | 1828 | Ag Lab. | Brimingham | Paralyzed |
| William | WEBSDALE | U | 73 | 1818 | Ag Lab. | Bury | |
| John | CREMAR | U | 43 | 1848 | Ag Lab. | Fakenham | Imbecile |
| Charles | REEDER | W | 83 | 1808 | Sawyer | Kettlestone | |
| Noah | THROWER | 12 | 1879 | Scholar | Fakenham | ||
| Ann | WILLIAMSON | W | 69 | 1822 | No occupation | Old Walsingham | |
| William | DENT | 7 | 1884 | Scholar | Fakenham | ||
| William | GREEN | 12 | 1879 | Scholar | Fakenham | ||
| Helen | GREEN | 9 | 1882 | Scholar | Fakenham | ||
| Frederick | GREEN | 4 | 1887 | Fakenham | |||
| Herbert | GREEN | 3 | 1888 | Fakenham | |||
| Robert | SEPPINGS | W | 56 | 1835 | Blacksmith | Fakenham | |
| John | BACON | U | 47 | 1844 | Butcher | Fakenham | |
| William | SMITH | W | 76 | 1815 | Blacksmith | Fakenham | |
| Harriet | WEST | W | 85 | 1806 | Housekeeper | Southrepps | |
| Samuel | FOSTER | U | 69 | 1822 | Painter | Fakenham | |
| Elizabeth | GLAPFIELD | W | 61 | 1830 | No occupation | Hindringham | |
| John | BASSHAM | W | 76 | 1815 | Ag Lab. | East Rudham | |
| Elizabeth | BAILEY | U | 37 | 1854 | Cley Next the Sea | ||
| Arthur | BAILEY | 10 | 1881 | Scholar | Great Snoring | ||
| William | BAILEY | 2 | 1889 | Great Snoring | |||
| Mary | EVERETT | U | 54 | 1837 | No occupation | Fulmodestone | Imbecile |
| Charles | HURN | W | 71 | 1820 | Ag Lab. | Gunthorpe | |
| Maria | BAILEY | U | 36 | 1855 | General servant | Gunthorpe | |
| Mary | BAILEY | 10 | 1881 | Scholar | Chelmsford Essex | ||
| Alice | BAILEY | 7 | 1884 | Scholar | Great Snoring | ||
| Louisa | BAILEY | U | 32 | 1859 | Domestic servant | Gunthorpe | |
| Edith | BAILEY | 10 | 1881 | Scholar | Gunthorpe | ||
| Francis | BAILEY | 7 | 1884 | Scholar | Great Snoring | ||
| Bertram | BAILEY | 4 | 1887 | Great Snoring | |||
| Elizabeth | WICK | U | 54 | 1837 | Domestic servant | Holkham | |
| Mary | WICK | 12 | 1879 | Scholar | London | ||
| Maud | WICK | 6 | 1885 | Scholar | Great Snoring | ||
| Martha | GIDNEY | 12 | 1879 | Scholar | Langham | ||
| Elizabeth | GIDNEY | 11 | 1880 | Scholar | Langham | ||
| William | BRETT | W | 72 | 1819 | Ag Lab. | Melton Constable | |
| Robert | BECK | W | 59 | 1832 | Ag Lab. | Wighton | |
| Elizabeth | ABRAMS | W | 65 | 1826 | Unknown | Lunatic | |
| Elizabeth | RICHES | W | 64 | 1827 | East Raynham | ||
| William | SHREEVE | W | 70 | 1816 | Tailor | West Raynham | |
| Henry | WATTS | U | 57 | 1834 | Shoemaker | West Raynham | |
| James | ASHMORE | U | 75 | 1816 | Ag Lab. | West Raynham | |
| Alice | DUNGAR | W | 88 | 1803 | No occupation | West Raynham | |
| Ernest | YOUNGS | 11 | 1880 | Scholar | West Raynham | ||
| Sarah | YOUNGS | 10 | 1881 | Scholar | West Raynham | ||
| Noah | EMMERSON | W | 70 | 1821 | Gamekeeper | Great Ryburgh | |
| George | NEALE | U | 68 | 1823 | Carpenter | Great Ryburgh | |
| George | TOLL | W | 72 | 1819 | Ag Lab. | Colkirk | |
| James | NEALE | W | 67 | 1824 | Ag Lab. | Tattersett | |
| Zachariah | SHACKCLOTH | W | 76 | 1815 | Fish dealer | ||
| Henry | BALLS | U | 76 | 1815 | Ag Lab. | Sculthorpe | |
| Sarah | OVERMAN | U | 29 | 1862 | Charwoman | Sculthorpe | |
| Julia | EGMERE | U | 27 | 1864 | Domestic servant | Sculthorpe | |
| Edmund Henry | EGMERE | 11 | 1880 | Scholar | Great Snoring | ||
| Ann | WRIGHT | W | 78 | 1813 | No occupation | Hindringham | |
| Daniel | BARWICK | U | 67 | 1824 | Ag Lab. | Sharrington | Epileptic |
| Lily | NEALE | 4 | 1887 | St Pancras London | |||
| Joseph | ASHBY | W | 65 | 1826 | Ag Lab. | Brinton | |
| Richard | BUSHELL | W | 76 | 1815 | Ag Lab. | Little Snoring | |
| Frances | GATES | W | 63 | 1828 | No occupation | Helhoughton | |
| Harriet | EGGLETON | U | 36 | 1855 | Domestic servant | Stibbard | |
| Robert | EGGLETON | 11 | 1880 | Scholar | Great Snoring | ||
| Herbert | EGGLETON | 8 | 1883 | Scholar | Great Snoring | ||
| Lucy | WATERSON | U | 21 | 1870 | Cook | Stibbard | |
| Edith Julia | WATERSON | 3/12 | 1891 | Great Snoring | |||
| William | WORDINGHAM | W | 72 | 1819 | Ag Lab. | Stiffkey | |
| Thomas | WORDINGHAM | W | 70 | 1821 | Ag Lab. | Stiffkey | Paralyzed |
| John | WRIGHT | W | 70 | 1821 | Ag Lab. | Stiffkey | |
| James | LAMER | 6 | 1885 | Scholar | Stiffkey | ||
| Emma | BULL | W | 69 | 1822 | Dressmaker | Lynn | |
| Thomas | DALLASTONE | U | 80 | 1811 | Groom | Middleton | |
| Susan | MAYES | W | 77 | 1814 | No occupation | Burnham Overy | |
| Samuel | FICKLING | W | 76 | 1815 | Shoemaker | Cley Next the Sea | |
| Henry | BUCKINGHAM | U | 44 | 1847 | Ag Lab. | Fakenham | |
| John | LONG | U | 70 | 1821 | Ag Lab. | Walsingham | |
| George | RUSH | U | 25 | 1866 | Painter | Weston; South Shields Durham | Spinal Disease |
| Robert | LEATON | M | 38 | 1853 | Ag Lab. | Warham | |
| Sarah | RINGWOOD | U | 56 | 1835 | No occupation | Wells Next the Sea | Imbecile Epileptic |
| Robert | ALLEN | U | 58 | 1833 | No occupation | Unknown | Imbecile |
| Wiliam | CURSON | U | 83 | 1808 | Sailor | Stiffkey | |
| Henry | HOWARD | W | 69 | 1822 | Sailor | Wells Next the Sea | |
| Sarah | PULL | U | 26 | 1865 | No occupation | Unknown | Imbecile Epileptic |
| Henry | JEBBEL | U | 80 | 1811 | Boot mender | Fakenham | |
| William | WILSON | W | 70 | 1821 | Porter | Stoke Ferry | |
| Elizabeth | GREEN | W | 70 | 1821 | No occupation | Wells Next the Sea | |
| Charles | THOMPSON | W | 69 | 1822 | Porter | Wells Next the Sea | |
| Valentine John | CLARKE | 6 | 1885 | Scholar | Wells Next the Sea | ||
| Caroline | READWIN | 10 | 1881 | Scholar | Wells Next the Sea | ||
| Elizabeth | READWIN | 8 | 1883 | Scholar | Wells Next the Sea | ||
| Ellen | WATSON | W | 46 | 1845 | Ag Lab. | Warham | |
| William | RANSOME | 14 | 1877 | No occupation | Wells Next the Sea | ||
| Louisa | GRANGLE | U | 56 | 1835 | No occupation | Holkham | |
| Sarah | BALLS | W | 70 | 1821 | No occupation | Wells Next the Sea | |
| James | EMPSON | M | 60 | 1831 | Sailor | Wells Next the Sea | |
| Robert | RANSOME | W | 76 | 1815 | Ag Lab. | Holkham | |
| William | BURROWS | W | 64 | 1827 | Porter | Wells Next the Sea | |
| Abram | SMITHBONE | U | 58 | 1833 | Sailor | Wells Next the Sea | |
| Frances | STAINES | U | 10 | 1881 | Scholar | Great Snoring | |
| James | POWLEY | W | 82 | 1809 | Ag Lab. | Warham | |
| John | COOPER | W | 74 | 1817 | Ag Lab. | Hempton | |
| George | BAILEY | S | 5 | 1886 | Scholar | Great Snoring | |
| Henry | WARREN | S | 30 | 1861 | Ag Lab | Wells Next the Sea | |
| Ann | MANSFIELD | W | 61 | 1830 | Bodham | ||
| William | DOY | W | 64 | 1827 | Tailor | Wells Next the Sea | Paralyzed |
| William | LUBBOCK | W | 70 | 1821 | Tailor | Stiffkey | |
| Mary | DENNIS | W | 85 | 1806 | Binham | ||
| Elizabeth | NELSON | S | 40 | 1851 | Field Worker | Great Ryburgh | |
| John | NELSON | S | 9 | 1882 | Scholar | Hindringham | |
| Jemima | READWIN | S | 14 | 1877 | Domestic Servant | Wells Next the Sea | |
| John | STEVENS | S | 51 | 1840 | Dock Worker | Harwich Essex | |
