Catalogue description Folios 35-36. Workhouse Inspection Report Form from John Thomas Graves, Poor Law...

Folios 35-36. Workhouse Inspection Report Form from John Thomas Graves, Poor Law Inspector, to the Poor Law Board, reporting his inspection of the Bromsgrove Poor Law Union Workhouse on 10 June 1862; includes details of medical provision, management of the school, the vagrant wards etc.

Graves reports that the workhouse holds 320 inmates and there is a detached hospital with the receiving wards in a proper state. He believes the school is very well managed and there is a copy of the report of J B Browne, Inspector of Schools dated 14 November 1861; 'The children passed a tolerable examination, but are not advanced. They appeared for the most part to be very young'. At the time of Graves visit there were 144 inmates of whom 142 were Church of England, 1 a Protestant Dissenter and 1 Roman Catholic, this was ' no alteration in the religious economy of the workhouse' since the last report. Graves also reports that there was no vagrant ward but the numerous tramps are relieved by the relieving officers of Bromsgrove and Redditch, following inspection by police. The visiting committee regularly inspect the workhouse, but there is no entry made in the visiting committee book, or other report book by a Commissioner in Lunacy. Graves reports that the proper extract from the Poor Law Amendment Act, and regulations of commissioners are hung up in the workhouse and all new appointments and changes in salary have been reported and there are no provisional appointments. Graves has no reason to believe the accounts are not kept properly and did not observe any illegal practice or departure from the regulations. The terms of contracts for vacancies are fulfilled and he has not heard of any defects in the arrangements. Graves notes that the numbers of paupers both indoor and out have increased compared with the corresponding time last year.

Paper Number: 21830/1862.

Poor Law Union Number: 526.

Counties: Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire.