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Volume XXIV Cover

Volume XXIV: The Diary of Benjamin Woodcock, Master of the Barnet Union Workhouse, 1836–1838

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. 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.

  • Edited and with an Introduction by Gillian Gear
  • xlii + 277 pages, fully indexed
  • 16 illustrations plus illustrated jacket
  • ISBN 978-0-9547561-7-8

Price: £6
(+£4 p&p )

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