“Kill me sooner than take me there,” implores Betty Higden in Dickens’ 1865 novel Our Mutual Friend. Even today, the Victorian workhouse still inspires powerful images of fear and hardship in the contemporary consciousness. But what evidence do we have that life in the “Union” was really so dire? This talk by Luke Mouland draws on stories from a number of Dorset’s workhouses to explore this theme and examines how even the design of the workhouse itself was intended to deter the needy from seeking refuge within.
Luke is a freelance genealogist and research consultant based near Sherborne. He founded Kith & Kin Research in 2010 to help people discover more about their family histories; he has undertaken consultancy work for a range of clients, including probate solicitors, authors and the BBC’s hit TV series Who Do You Think You Are? Luke writes and speaks regularly on topics of local and social history. He volunteers as archives manager at Sherborne Museum, where he has also served as a trustee since 2014.
The photograph of a group of inmates at Wimborne Union Workhouse, taken in Christmas 1905 is courtesy of the Museum of East Dorset.
The talk will be held in Hope United Reformed Church at 8 Trinity Street. Tea & biscuits will be served from 2pm and the talk will begin at 2.30pm.
Tickets will be available on the door and are £2.00 for members of the Friends and £3.00 for visitors. (Exact change would be appreciated, if possible).
