Haynes Poor Families 1801
Ref.W1/762
Report on the state and condition of the Poor Houses in the parish of Hawnes in the County of Bedfordshire County Council.
The first part of the Poor House consists of a dwelling room 17ft by 11ft with a fire place, the room is 6ft high. 1 sleeping room on the ground floor 17ft by 14ft 6in with a dirt floor, the rafters and in one side are unplastered. 1 sleeping room over the dwelling room 17ft by 11ft to which they go up by a ladder.
The inhabitants of the above three rooms are as under: Mary Litchfield, aged 37 years; Sarah Litchfield aged 14 years; Mary Litchfield, aged 12 years; William Litchfield aged 9 years; Thomas Litchfield aged 7 years; John Litchfield, aged 3 years; William Oliver aged 46 years, lame; Elizabeth Oliver, wife, aged 50 years; Ann Oliver aged 23 years, ill health; John Oliver aged 18 years; Diana Oliver aged 14 years; Sarah Oliver aged 12 years
Total 12 – 5 males 7 females
Litchfield family have 1 old block bed, 2 sheets, 1 blanket and 1 coverlet, the children lie upon straw, upon the floor, covered with a few rags and an old sack.
Oliver’s family have two bedsteads, 2 old flock beds, 3 old blankets, 3 old very bad sheets, 1 rug and 1 old coverlet.
The other furniture in the house for these two families is very bad.
The second part of the poor house consists of 1 dwelling room 17ft by 10ft 6 in with a fireplace and a dirt floor. 1 back room on the ground floor 17ft by 13ft with a dirt floor, the clay walls of this room are very bad. 1 sleeping room upstairs17ft by 10ft, 1 other sleeping room up stairs 17ft by 13ft. No windows in either of the rooms upstairs the stairs, doors and windows below are all very bad. The inhabitants of the above 4 rooms are as under:
William Ingram, aged 50 years, ill; Elizabeth Ingram, wife, aged 50 years; Elizabeth Ingram, aged 20 years; William Ingram aged 14 years; John Ingram, aged 12 years; Reuben Ingram aged 9 years; Ann Ingram, aged 3 years; Ann Whitmore, widow, 61 years; Sarah Whitmore aged 18 years
Total 10: 5 males 5 females
Ingram family have two bedsteads, 1 old flock bed, 2 blankets, 1 rug and 3 sheets complete rags. The children lie upon straw covered by rags only.
Whitmore family have one straw bed, 1 blanket, 1 sheet and one old sheet, a complete rag, and lie upon straw on the floor without a bedstead.
The other furniture in the house for these two families is very bad. There are no out offices in this poor house except a privy and all the inhabitants are upon weekly allowance and but indifferently clothed.
A cottage near the Poor House consisting of a small dwelling room, with a fire place, one other small room on the ground floor, and 2 small sleeping rooms upstairs; - the stairs, doors, walls and windows of this cottage are now extremely bad and in the present state hardly fit for human habitation.
The inhabitants of this house are as under:
Thomas Randall aged 42 yearsm in the militia; Elizabeth Randall, wife, aged 39 years; Elizabeth Randall, aged 19 years; James Randall aged 16 years; Mary Randall aged 13 years; Thomas Randall aged 10 years; William Randall aged 7 years; Sarah Randall aged 4 years; Total 8 – 4 males 4 females
This family have two bedsteads, 2 extremely bad flock beds, 2 old sheets
1 old blanket, the rest of the bed coverings are rags. They have 3 old tables and all the other furniture is extremely bad.
Examined by authority from Samuel Whitbread Esq. One of His Majesty’s Justices of the Peace for the County of Bedford the 8 day of December 1801.
[Signed] Thomas Lilburne
W1/766: Report on the poor houses in the Parish of Hawnes.
On my second visit to the Poor Houses of hawnes, on Friday 2nd April 1802 I found them in nearly the same state as when I made my first report on the 8th December 1801. As the Overseers had not done any repairs, or relieved the inhabitants in any way, except Litchfield who has since that time received a waistcoat for one of her boys.
On my Third visit to the poor Houses at Hawnes, on Tuesday 17th April 1802 I found on strict enquiry that the Overseers had given a few necessariesto the following paupers:
William Litchfield, 1 pair shoes; Elizabeth Oliver, 1 shift; Diana Oliver, 1 shift; Sarah Oliver, 1 shift; William Ingram, 1 shirt; John Ingram, 1 shirt, 1 pair of shoes; Ann Whitmore, 1 shift, 1 pair of shoes.
Thomas Lilburne