Sunderland's first workhouse was built in 1740 and stood in Church Walk next to
Holy Trinity church. The Elizabethan poor law had made it the duty of every
parish to maintain it's poor. In 1797, 176 people were in the Sunderland
workhouse, of those, 36 were children.
A workhouse was built in Bishopwearmouth in 1827, at the west end of High
Street. It was found to be damp, crowded, ill-furnished and lacking in adequate
provision. With the town's rapidly increasing population a larger workhouse was
built in Hylton Road (now part of the General Hospital) in 1855, designed by J.
E. Oates of York at a cost of £16,415. By 1857 there was already a scandal over
dirty and verminous conditions in this newest workhouse
The census of 1871 shows that this workhouse contained 325 males and 342
females. In a less sensitive age some of these were recorded as being imbeciles,
idiot from birth, deaf and dumb, blind or insane. The number of officers at the
workhouse was given as 6 males and 19 females.
Supper
Bread & Broth
Water Gruel & Bread
Boiled Milk & Bread
Milk or Gruel & Bread
Bread & Broth
Water Gruel & Bread
Milk or Gruel & Bread
Hasty Pudding a kind of porridge made by stirring flour or
oatmeal into boiling water or milk. Gruel a thin liquid soup. Pease Soup a thick
yellow soup made from peas. Bread was the staple workhouse food and this was
made from wheat and rye.
Each person was allowed 6oz. of bread at dinner and supper on meat days (Sunday
and Thursday) and 1/2lb. was allowed at each meal on the other five days. On
meat days 1/2lb of beef was served to each person.
