Mardler April 18 Final

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Local History The Brockdish roundsman system was not all that common; most parishes were kinder to their impoverished unemployed. The system was frowned on by the poor law administration in Somerset House as being rather cruel but also inefficient. Unemployed men were obliged to collect a ticket every week from the parish overseer, then go round every farm and large employer in the parish to enquire whether there was any possibility of work. If there was any work then the man was obliged to take it at reduced wages that were decreed by the parish as the ‘labour rate’. Under the labour rate, ratepayers could hire people to work for them at a wage rate set by the parish or choose to pay a labour rate tax to the parish. Parishes would sometimes supplement these very low wages for wives and children but not always. In practice, unemployed men would trudge round from farm to farm all day desperately looking for work in winter and then come away with a signature on the ticket to say there was no work. If all the employers signed, then the filled out ticket could be exchanged for cash or bread relief. If not then the man would be turned away. It is hardly surprising that the weak, the sick, the barely unemployable, ended up in the workhouse with nowhere else to go, exhausted by the struggle. Plans drawn up by William Thorold, Depwade Union Workhouse 1835. 16
Local History Some unscrupulous farmers deliberately paid their workers low wages knowing that the local tax payer would top up their wages. Inevitably workers, who were being paid by the parish, did not feel very committed to the work they were doing and worked unenthusiastically, feeding the prejudices against ‘the undeserving poor’ as lazy wastrels. In April 1835, Brockdish parish poor law overseers made “an agreement” with the parishioners that 6 farmers, land ‘occupiers’, William Smith, James Burgess, R Leaper, Levi Welton, Mr Walne (at the Grove) and Mr Brigham (Brockdish Hall) would keep in employment one man per 25 acres of land at 8 shillings a week and in addition could hire unemployed men at the parish labour rate on the roundsman system, paid for by the parish. The system was maintained until the harshest winters put everyone out of work for months and gradually after the late 1840s, when the worst, most punitive excesses of the new poor law were being criticised and in many places reviewed, the roundsman system was dropped. In the last half of the 19 th century the main reasons for ending up in the workhouse were frailty in old age, orphaned or abandoned children or being unable to work because of mental or physical disability. But there were always the overly optimistic, the feckless, the poor planner, the gambler and the simply unlucky. Let’s look at two very typical cases:- Sam Marriott Brockdish. Sam was admitted to Depwade Union Workhouse at the age of 12 in late 1854 after his mother Amy died at the young age of 40. He was called ‘an imbecile’, in other words he had profound learning disabilities. His father, also Samuel, was considerably older and there were two other children, one Eliza, stayed at home with her father, and an older boy had left home to find work. It is clear that Sam was being looked after by his mother but when she died the family could not cope with poor Sam anymore and there was nowhere else for him to go. Sam was cared for in the workhouse until he died in 1915 age 72. 17
Page 1 and 2: Mardler BROCKDISH & THORPE ABBOTTS
Page 3 and 4: Editorial In this edition the cover
Page 5 and 6: Village Dear Villagers I am a ten y
Page 7 and 8: Village Information WANTED - VILLAG
Page 9 and 10: Parish Council BROCKDISH PARISH COU
Page 11 and 12: Coffee Break Jan - 'How are you get
Page 13 and 14: Information Eastern Angles touring
Page 15: Local History Brockdish and Thorpe
Page 19 and 20: Open Monday to Saturday Offering ES
Page 21 and 22: Information MOBILE LIBRARY Visits B
Page 23 and 24: 4. To make the icing, beat the butt
Page 25 and 26: THE MARDLER GARDENER AKA PANSY’S
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Page 31 and 32: Church Service Times Rector http://

Mardler April 18 Final

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