Whilst on the subject of workhouses, I wonder if anyone knows if there was a
directive from central government in the 1920s that the word be dropped? I
have noticed that in several local documents produced by the Guardians the
word workhouse was never used after about 1920. According to Harmsworth's
Encyclopaedia of 1920 the term "Union" was popularly applied, like "House",
to a workhouse.
However it seems to have been officially called "the Institution". I think
there were several slang words for it too.
I wonder if the use of the word Institution was a national policy or simply
a local change.
Brian Read
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