State of facts relative to Greenwich Hospital.

  • Royal Hospital for Seamen at Greenwich
Date:
[1779]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: State of facts relative to Greenwich Hospital. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    41/90 (page 23)
    ( Pa^e 6S. “ The Linen Cloth is purchafed In Bales, and is cut up by the Civil Officers Clerks t« Wives, who have the entire Management of it, “ without ever confulting the Matrons ; the Confe- “ quence of which is, that the Mens Shirts, Sheets, “ &c. have been gradually dccrealing in Size and “ Goodnefs, for fome Years ; and the Men com- “ plain, that they are in general fo very badly vvaflied, that they never have even the Comfort of a clean “ Shirt, except they wafli it themfelves, after it is delivered by the Contrador as clean; when in Rea- lity it appears rather to have been dragged through a “ Kennel or an Horfe-pondjthan w’aflied inaLaundry, “ Yet, what is called Wafliing, is a Charge to the Hofpital, of near 1400/. per Ann. and the Linen delivered in a ftinking ofFenfive State. [S:e the Minutes of the Council, in Mr, B\, Append, “ P- 3^-J n ) ‘ luded to, weve brought into Court by the ‘ Steward, in Confequence of Dire(^ions ^ from the Hofpitars Solicitor, Notice hav- * ing been given on the Part of the Defen- ^ dant, for that Purpofe; and that in all * Acflions, if the Plaintiff hath any Papers ‘ in his Hands which the Defendant judges * neceflary for his Defence, it is ciiftomary ‘ for the Defendcant to give the Plaintiff’s * Attorney Notice to produce them, and ‘ the Court experts them to be produced * accordingly. ^ The Charges [fee p. 68], “ That the ‘ Linen Cloth is cut up by the Civil Of- ^ ficers Clerks Wives; that they have the ‘ entire Management of it; that a gradual ‘ Diminution in the Size and Goodnefs of ‘ the Shirts, Sheets, &c. has been the f on- ‘ fequence for feveral Years pafl;; that the ‘ Men have never the Comfort of a clean ‘ Shirt except they wafh it themfelves, ‘ when, in Reality, it appears rather to have ‘ been dragged through a Horfe-pond than ‘ waflied in a Laundry ; that there is no ‘ Standard or Prpportion for Linen or ‘ Woollen; and that no Enquiry is made ‘ into the Quantities really ufed in the ‘ Clothes of the Penfioners,” are Refledlions^ ‘ in the Opinion of the Committee, not only ^ injurious to the Characters of the feveral ^ Perfons concerned in the receiving, cut- ‘ ting up, wafhing, and accounting for, ‘ thofe Articles, but unfairly Rated by Mr. ‘ Baillie: For it appears, that the Linen ‘ Cloth is cut up by feveral other Perfons ^ befides the Clerks Wives, as was the ‘ Pra6lice in the Time of Mr. Bell, the * former Steward ; that there are Standards ^ for the Shirts, Sheets, and Clothes, of all ‘ Kinds; which Standards, though they ‘ are not to be exceeded, it is not under- ‘ Rood fliould be RriRly kept up, in all ‘ Cafes, where a lefs Quantity is fufficient, * for Men of an inferior Size; or where, on