Audlem History Society- February Report

William Matthias outside Nantwich Workhouse

Audlem History Society February Talk

This month’s talk was given by Bill Pearson to a packed audience on the theme of Nantwich Workhouse.
Bill is a very enthusiastic speaker, and he was very keen to move quickly onto the “interesting” aspects of the talk, so we had a whistle-stop journey through the early beginnings and workhouse legislation.

Audlem and other places had workhouses as well as the larger ones such as in Nantwich. Audlem’s was a more generous set-up than that of Nantwich, and opened in 1740 in Lodmore Lane near the Combermere Arms. By 1832 there were 9 inmates there.

Bill’s talk then took a more leisurely turn, as he regaled us with tales of life in the workhouse, and he described the mostly miserable existence led by the inmates.

We were told horrific details of the so-called Black Hole in Nantwich Workhouse, and further upsetting facts known as the Audlem Scandal of 1877, whereby children were boarded out & treated abominably. On a lighter note, we were entertained by gossip about juicy instances of bigamy and affairs connected to the workhouse.

Nantwich Workhouse was transferred to the local authority in 1929, and by 1935 became the Barony Hospital which was used to treat acute medical cases.

Bill told us that it was only 3 weeks since he had been treated for brain surgery at Royal Stoke “workhouse” as he called it, though he was full of praise for the care he received there. None of us would have known by his usual witty and strong delivery that that had been the case.

We were very glad that he was well enough to be with us on the evening, and we wish him continuing good health.