Piece
See MH 82/12
Catalogue reference: MH 82/49
Date: 1954 Sept 16-1956 Nov 15
See MH 82/12
Item
Folios 312-319. Report of a committee appointed by the Board of Guardians of Bishops...
Catalogue reference: MH 12/4536/139
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This record is about the Folios 312-319. Report of a committee appointed by the Board of Guardians of Bishops... dating from 2 Mar 1837 in the series Local Government Board and predecessors: Correspondence with Poor Law Unions and.... It is held at The National Archives, Kew.
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Full description and record details
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Reference (The unique identifier to the record described, used to order and refer to it)
- MH 12/4536/139
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Date (When the record was created)
- 2 Mar 1837
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Description (What the record is about)
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- Content
- Folios 312-319. Report of a committee appointed by the Board of Guardians of Bishops Stortford Poor Law Union to enquire into a charge contained in a letter from the Reverend W Cowling, written on 8 February 1837 and addressed to the Vice Chairman of the Poor Law Union. The committee was assisted by Colonel Wade, Assistant Poor Law Commissioner. Cowling stated that he had not himself witnessed the situation, and then others involved then gave evidence under oath. The complaint concerned the case of Sarah Aylett, who had applied to the relieving officer for the help of a nurse for the family of Charles Hutchin, and evidence was heard as follows. Mrs Sarah Hutchin had given birth only three weeks before but was having to look after her husband and eight children, who had all been suffering from 'the contagious disease' for two weeks. The relieving officer Mr Green turned down Sarah Aylett's request on behalf of the Hutchin family, saying that the mother should care for the family. Mrs Hutchin tried to carry on for a further week but being worn out and unwell herself, she died, as did three of her children. Once the Board of Guardians became aware of the family's situation they ordered that all their needs should be met totally, but unfortunately this was too late to save Sarah and her children. Cowling added that this was not a solitary complaint against the relieving officer. Sarah Aylett of Albury said she had applied to Mr Green at the workhouse on 20 December 1836 on behalf of the family because no one in the family was well enough to go. Mr Green turned the application down not only because he thought Mrs Hutchin should look after her ill family herself but also because Mr Hutchin earned a good wage. Mary Hanshaw of Albury said she was at the pay table when she heard Sarah Aylett ask Mr Green for help for the Hutchin family. When he refused, saying that having been confined two weeks ago, Mrs Hutchin should be able to care for her family herself, Aylett told him that Mrs Hutchin was herself ill and made the request a second time. Hanshaw did not hear the response to the second request. Charlotte Jackson of Albury said she knew that the Hutchin family were ill: she used to call at the door when she went for water. She did not know that Sarah Aylett had applied for relief on their behalf to Green. Mr Green, the relieving officer, brought the application book for Albury parish in which the application for a nurse was recorded. It was entered on 20 December 1836 and laid before the Board [of Guardians] on 22 December 1836. The entry shows an application by Charles Hutchin aged 35 years, living in Albury and employed as a hay binder, who was receiving 8s per week relief from his club plus port wine and meat: he applied for 3s 6d per week to pay for a nurse as the whole family were ill. The family consisted of his wife Sarah, aged 34, and his children: Arthur aged 15, William aged 14, John aged 12, Nazan aged 10, Barnard aged 8, Charles aged 6. Frederick aged 4, Susan aged 3, Jonas aged 2, and an infant. John Dobede Taylor, Clerk to the Guardians of Bishops Stortford Poor Law Union, confirmed that the book produced by Green was the Application Book. When the Board saw it on 22 December they ordered relief to the pauper Hutchin of 3s 6d per week for the hire of a nurse. Green was recalled and said that Mrs Thurgood of Albury had made the application to the Board on behalf of the family. The 3s 6d was paid on 27 December 1836. Mrs Thurgood was now also very ill. Charles Hutchin stated that he did not know when application was first made on behalf of his family to the relieving officer, whom he first met when he arrived at the house and left 10s 6d. Mrs Thurgood attended the family as a nurse, and she said she was to receive 3s 6d per week paid by the Board, but she started at the house before the 10s 6d was paid. Whenever he asked for anything from the relieving officer or the overseer I always had it. Francis Moore, Medical Officer of Albury parish, attended the Hutchin family, and saw Mrs Hutchin before her confinement. Very soon after Christmas Day he saw two nurses attending the family: one was Mrs Thurgood who had been there before Christmas day. His partner directed that a nurse should be provided, and one was sent very soon after the application. He did not think there was the slightest neglect by the officers: he gave certificates for wine and meat, etc. and they were provided, the nurses seeming to behave appropriately. He believed every reasonable relief was given by the parish and the union officers, and when the family were given relief they were not in a state of destitution. He believes that throughout the period when the fever was raging in the parish the officers acted kindly and humanely. No more than six of the family were ill at any one time. Their house had a large upstairs bedroom containing a bedstead but the family did not use it, instead all congregating downstairs in a filthy beastly room together. They also had dogs, a donkey and some ferrets. Reverend W Cowling stated that he did not know himself that any application was made to the relieving officer and not attended to. Joseph Thurgood of Albury recollected his wife going to nurse the Hutchin family from the day she applied on their behalf to the Board: she told him the Board would pay 3s 6d per week. He went to the Board the following week to make an application for the family, and the Board immediately sent the relieving officer himself to visit them. When Thurgood went to the house there were seven children ill as well as both the adults. He stayed at the house four nights, soon after which the Board sent two more nurses. His wife was now ill. Susan Dellow of Albury gave evidence, stating that Sarah Aylett was also there, and Charlotte Edwards and Mrs Thurgood had been there but left when she was sent. Nathan [or Nazan] Hutchin came and asked her to go, and said she would receive 5s per week. The house was very filthy, and she was there when Mrs Hutchin died of the fever. Reverend W Cowling said he had no charge to make against the officers of neglect after the application was made on 20 December 1836, and was not prepared to try to prove that application was made to them before that date. John [Feast or Teast], overseer of Albury, stated that the first time the family, who were very ill, made application to him for relief was 28 December 1836, when he gave them 5s. He visited the family most days when they were ill: during this illness they cost the parish nearly £5 a week. Mr Green again produced his application book which showed details of the relief issued to the family. Mr Green visited the family at the end of December 1836, finding them to be in a dreadful state: two children had since died. He visited again on 4 January 1837 when it was thought that Mrs Hutchin was dying. Having carefully considered the evidence the committee decided that there were no grounds for the charge brought by the Reverend Cowley: they expressed deep regret that he should have been induced to bring the charge without first checking whether it was grounded in fact. The report is signed by the committee chairman Frederick Chaplin, plus William Parris, Mr Rogers and George Rust. Paper Number: 2461/A/1837. Poor Law Union Number 167. Counties: Hertfordshire and Essex.
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Held by (Who holds the record)
- The National Archives, Kew
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Legal status (A note as to whether the record being described is a Public Record or not)
- Public Record(s)
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Language (The language of the record)
- English
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Closure status (Whether the record is ‘open’ (available to the public) or ‘closed’ (not available due to a legal exemption))
- Open Document, Open Description
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Record URL
- https://beta.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/id/C10603992/
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Series information
MH 12
Local Government Board and predecessors: Correspondence with Poor Law Unions and...
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Folios 312-319. Report of a committee appointed by the Board of Guardians of Bishops...
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