A summary of Volume XXIV [Return to publications page]

Synopsis of The journal of Benjamin Woodcock, master of the Barnet Union workhouse, 1836 to 1838

The journal that forms the basis of this book was begun on 1 September 1836 by Benjamin Woodcock, the master appointed by the newly formed Barnet Union. It begins almost a year after his appointment and although the site for the new workhouse had been selected, the district’s paupers were still living in some of the parish poorhouses.

Ending on 10 May 1838, the diary covers the period of the building’s completion in the late spring of 1837, the transfer of inmates from the Barnet, Shenley and East Barnet poorhouses to the new central workhouse and the establishment of a settled routine for staff, inmates and guardians. In the journal Woodcock describes his daily routine, admitting and caring for the workhouse inmates, his handling of problems he experienced in creating a smooth-running regime in the new buildings and coping with the demands of the many visitors who took an interest in this newly conceived method of dealing with the poor. The journal was produced to be seen by the board of guardians. From it they could see what their master was doing and in it they could note their agreement or disapproval of his actions and intents. [In this transcript, their comments are included in italics, set to the right-hand side of the page, following the relevant paragraph.] Its survival and publication in full provides an opportunity for readers to reach a better understanding of the running of an early workhouse, the views and actions of the master, guardians and paupers.

This is a rare opportunity for whilst the journal was written to be read by the board of guardians, it has a personal touch that reflects the attitudes of both master and guardians in a way that is not the case in more formal communications such as those with the Poor Law Commissioners. The journal is a small, hand written, volume. It is held at the Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies under reference BA/…… In 1984 extracts were included in Down and Out in Hertfordshire, produced by Hertfordshire Publications, and the chapter was introduced and edited by Robert M. Gutchen. The book, which included two other chapters on associated topics, is out of print. The Hertfordshire Record Society has therefore decided to produce the journal in full. To provide a better setting and increase understanding, it will include additional information, such as the early admission and discharge register, early accounts and extracts from correspondence between the Poor Law Commissions and the Board of Guardians and the latter’s correspondence. Analysis of the first admission and discharge registers has been undertaken in order to establish the reasons for admission, gender and age of inmates on admission, the number of occasions an individual was admitted and the reasons for their eventual discharge. A comprehensive index to the journal has been designed to identify the behaviour of the inmates and their treatment and the actions, and sometimes the opinions, of those in charge of them. A bibliography of both published work relevant to the subject and original sources and their locations will be included. Copies of plans of the original architects design, together which maps showing the location of the former poorhouses and of the new district workhouse are included, together with a selection of photographs. An especial effort has been made to ensure that the coloured cover has been designed to reflect the wealth of information that can be found within and attract the general reader.