Report of the Poor law commissioners to the most noble the Marquis of Normanby, Her Majesty's principal secretary of state for the Home department, on the continuance of the Poor law commission, and on some further amendments of the laws relating to the relief of the poor. With appendices.

  • Great Britain. Poor Law Commissioners.
Date:
1840
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report of the Poor law commissioners to the most noble the Marquis of Normanby, Her Majesty's principal secretary of state for the Home department, on the continuance of the Poor law commission, and on some further amendments of the laws relating to the relief of the poor. With appendices. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    306/324 (page 292)
    recently left the workhouse, ought to be considered in connexion with the representations made by the Board of Guardians of St. George-in- the-East. The Wapping Workhouse of the Stepney Union is within a few hun- dred yards of the workhouse of the parish of St. George-in-the-East, and they both contain a considerable number of the same class of un- ruly prostitutes. The strong representations made by the parish of St. George-in-the- East respecting the conduct of this most turbulent class of inmates might, with almost equal strength, be made by the Board of Guardians ol the Stepney Union, respecting certain of the profligate young women in their workhouse at Wapping. The present complaint of the Board of Guardians of the Stepney Union presents a difficulty not easily remedied, as the law, or its admi- nistrators, do not appear to think it expedient to treat wandering about the streets to procure a livelihood by prostitution as vagrancy, and there is a difficulty in making a special exception from the ordinary practice, because the prostitute comes from a workhouse to pursue her profes- sion, instead of from her own lodging. It is certain that many of the cases which are now taken by the police to the workhouses on account of simple destitution, especially within the city, ought in the first instance to be carried to the station-house, in order to be brought before the magistrates as vagrants ; but I do not perceive that the proper remedy for the evil complained of by the Stepney Board lies in the committal of the prostitute to an ordinary prison. I therefore repeat to the Commissioners my recommendation that application be made to Parliament tor powers enabling the Commissioners to create an esta- blishment for the correction and reformation of the most abandoned class of destitute and profligate women, to which asylum they may be committed by a Board of Guardians, with the approbation of two jus- tices of the peace, whenever it may appear to a Board of Guardians that the habits of such women in the workhouses are so shameless and tur- bulent as to require a peculiar discipline for their restraint, and to render the adoption of means for their reformation more than usually difficult. For the success of such an establishment, if necessary, the power to detain these prostitutes for a certain limited period should be given to the governing body, and as I do not think that such power is as yet included in the draft of the Bill prepared to be laid before both Houses of Parliament, I am desirous to draw the attention of the Commis- sioners to the importance of including such powers among the amend- ments of the law. It may be desirable to reply to the Stepney Board that the Commis- sioners have in contemplation the formation of an establishment, if powers for that purpose can be obtained, for the correction and reform- ation of the lowest class of profligate pauper females. I have the honour, &c, To the Poor Law Commissioners. J. P. Kay.