Life for the children at Bledlow
In 1891 the master of Saunderton said he took the children out for a walk once a week. When it was suggested a daily constitutional would be better for them, he stated that he did not have enough staff to do this. The little ones were allowed time to play outside when the weather allowed but they had no dedicated playroom as such for use during poor weather. The children were occupied at lessons and their "work" between 8 and noon and between 2-4pm, Sundays excepted. Dinner was 12.30 pm. The "work" was obviously dependent on age, but typically included helping tend the vegetable garden or pump water for the boys, and assist with the laundry or mending for the girls. They had a certain amount of donated books and toys and the master allowed them to make mud slides in the yard. The girls also had a swing as provided by a local benefactor in 1880.
They wore a sort of uniform all the time they were at the school. It was either a plain grey or dark coloured cord trouser suit for the boys with a matching cap or dresses for the girls of the same material.
Entertainments
As monotonous as daily life may have been for the young "inmates" I'm pleased to say they were not forgotten during the "high days and holidays" of the year.
In the 1880s and 1890s in particular visits were made by groups of singers and minstrels who were given permission to entertain the youngsters. The Marlow "Loyal Duck Lane Minstrels" were once such troupe who travelled to the main work house at Saunderton several times in the late 1880s and early 1890s. The children of Bledlow were bought along in hired brakes and waggons to enjoy the show. They were given an orange and some sweets before they headed home. All residents young and old were provided with a special tea abundant in cake, as paid for by Marlow residents.
At Christmas the youngsters could look forward to a number of treats provided by local men and women year after year. Oranges, nuts and sweets always featured in these, and often a magic lantern show or similar entertainment followed. Christmas dinner was a special one by the standards of the normal fare and the general daily routine was relaxed.
The lady visitors come calling
In 1895 a committee of lady visitors was established for Bledlow. Thereafter it's noticeable that many improvements were made in favour of the children's comfort. In the same year a Band of Hope was established at Bledlow for the boys. This was a Christian temperance focused sort of youth club. Also the children were allowed to join a Sunday Bible class at Bledlow itself, which was also open children not resident in the house. This was in addition to an agreement that the juvenile inmates could attend the Wesleyan Sunday schools in the village. The children were marched there and back and their "industrial teacher" took one of the classes at the chapel. Some of guardians complained the lady visitors were constantly making suggestions, and some were dangerously close to letting the little ones be treated better than the offspring of the labouring poor in the outside they feared. (For example the ladies idea of providing night clothes for the boys so they didn't have to sleep in the same clothes they wore all day. The matter was dropped on cost grounds officially.) But the ladies were successful at securing donations of footballs (from Marlow Football Club) and cricket stumps, bats and balls (courtesy of Marlow Cricket Club) all collected by Marlow's Walter Lovegrove. The fairly new master and mistress Mr and Mrs Quint were also responsible for improving the atmosphere at Bledlow in the 1890s. It was noted that since their arrival the children had had better spirits and were more animated, especially when Mr Quint joined in their games.
Where were their parents?
Some of children at Bledlow were orphans, some had parents in the Saunderton workhouse, some were children abandoned by their families (who would face charges of leaving their dependents "on the parish" if traced) and a few were admitted on a special case basis while their parents could not care for them eg because they were widowed and needed to travel to seek work (but these parents were required to contribute to their children's maintenance.) A few were admitted because the widowed parent could not support all their offspring and so a difficult decision was made to put some in the workhouse while others stayed at home.
The decision to house the school age children separate from the adults was not just for space reasons. Many thought it desirable the children should be kept free of "polluting" and "contaminating "influences even if they were their own family! Poverty and idleness and criminality were considered by some Victorians to be inevitable bed fellows so poor adults needed to be kept at a safe distance. This was one reason an 1881 plan to move the children from Bledlow into an extended Saunderton workhouse were not proceeded with. It's interesting that in 1891 when the idea was mooted again, those in its favour said that it was impossible to keep the children entirely away from potentially bad adults already as their parents could visit them every day if liked. Obviously those at Saunderton could not just walk out to pay their offspring a call - they required permission from the master to leave and he may not have been willing to grant it day after day in practice. Any other family wanting to visit the youngsters would also require permission from the Bledlow master to do so. The board considered Saunderton then had enough room to keep the children reasonably apart from others but they stayed at Bledlow. Some children were of course at Saunderton too, mainly because of their young age.
Children under 10 years were routinely boarded out within the community from 1891 unless they were considered unsuitable for some reason. Some of those caring for the children were Marlow and Little Marlow families, but their young guests were not necessarily from those places. They were provided with a suit of clothes and their foster parents could apply for more as needed. This boarding out meant the Bledlow premises were not as full as the early years before the boarding out began. In 1891 there were 36 little residents. A relative lack of crowding was considered to be one reason why the children had less outbreaks of infectious conditions such as conjunctivitis or head lice than was usual in such institutions.
The Premises
By the 1890s the Bledlow buildings were considered to be in poor condition. A group of guardians visiting making their customary fortnightly visit in 1893 were alarmed by the state of the stairs which had holes at the corners large enough for one gentleman to poke his umbrella through. The water pump was stiff and heavy too. Repairs were made slowly but it doesn't sound like an especially warm and draught free place to grow up!
Leaving Bledlow
The youngsters were sent to be apprentices or into service for training or employment when considered old enough, unless of course a family member was able to claim and house them. It seems that some of the wages were subsidised. Those going out into the world were given an outfit to go away with. Anyone interested in taking on one of the teenagers would apply to the board. It was not a given that the request would be granted or that the boys and girls were allowed to go with just anyone. The employers were interviewed and some applications were refused altogether. If accepted in principle, they would be invited to select in person from a choice of three boys or girls chosen by the masters as most likely to be suitable. For, example in 1892 Mrs William Creswell at High Rews farm in Marlow chose 12 year old Amelia Webb from Thame to come to her. Sometimes the children refused to go and while some pressure might be exerted, they were not actually forced to. They could also be "returned" if the arrangement didn't work out. I saw one girl had come back three times while they were despairing of placing a 14 year old would be servant who had had no offers. (Girls had to leave Bledlow at 16.)
They made special efforts NOT to place the children in "advantageous positions" as opposed to putting them in a situation considered fit and at a "proper level" for children of the labouring class. This was yet another way to prevent the idea of abandoning children to the parish to "better their prospects" appearing attractive. I wonder how many children might have been lifted out of poverty if those willing to give them a head start regardless would have been allowed to do so.
In 1894 the Grimsby North Sea Trawling co asked if they had any lads desirous of going to sea. There were three boys age 14 & 15 who the master approached but the only one who fancied life as a fisherman was considered too short!
Some children (before the boarding out began) spent their entire childhoods at Bledlow. How strange they must have found life "on the outside".
Written and researched by Kathryn Day.
For sources, see part one.
Related posts:
The Wretched - poverty in Victorian and Edwardian Marlow here
Marlow workhouse keepers the Reeves here
The life of James Croxon - friend to the poor here
From the workhouse to convict ships - the Brothers Frith here
Marlow hero John Langley here
General posts about everyday life in old Great Marlow here
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